Mount Union's men's basketball team will seek its first Ohio Athletic Conference win of the season when Muskingum pays a visit to the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex Wednesday night at 7:30 pm. A brief ceremony will be held prior to the game to recognize senior forward Jimmy Wood (Wintersville/Indian Creek), who scored his 1,000th career point on Saturday against Wilmington.
The game will be broadcast locally on the radio on AM 1310 WDPN and simulcast online along with LIVE STATS.
Mount Union (3-6, 0-4) hopes to end a five-game winless streak against a Muskies squad who has lost four consecutive games and are tied with the Purple Raiders at the bottom of the conference standings. The Raiders have been very competitive team during the skid, losing by six or fewer four times, was tied in the final minute against Capital, and led in the final minutes in Saturday's overtime loss to first place Wilmington. The Muskies, on the other hand, are losing by an average of 10 points per game and have lost just once by less than ten points during their skid.
The Raiders are 1-4 at home on the season. Defense and three-point shooting have been the keys to the Raiders winning games this season. Opponents are scoring 69.7 points per game on the season, but just 58.3 points per game in Mount Union's three wins. The Raiders rank second in the OAC in field goal percentage defense (.407) but have but the clamps on opponents in their three wins, allowing them to shoot just .331 from the field. The Raiders have shot just under 40-percent from behind the three-point arc in wins this season.
Mount Union average 69.7 points per game and is led by Wood, the conference's leading scorer at 20.4 points per game. Wood, who scored a career-high 32 points against Wilmington on Saturday, also ranks among the top ten in free throw percentage (.800), rebounding (6.3), and three-point field goals (24). At home, Wood is averaging 26.6 points per game.
Freshman Nate Jacubec (Struthers/Struthers) and sophomore T.J. Gillespie (Toledo/St. John's) have been the most consistent guards for the Raiders in terms of scoring the ball. Jacubec averages 9.6 points per game and Gillespie averages 7.6 points per game. Freshman forward Stevie Griffin (Canton/Massillon Jackson) is scoring 8.4 points per game off the bench and is shooting a team-best 45-percent from on three-point attempts.
Junior guard Justen Little (Calion/Galion) is averaging 3.8 assists per game, which is second in the conference. He has taken tremendous care of the ball and leads the OAC with a 6.8:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Matt Kiger (Williamstown, W. Va./Williamstown), Keith Williams (Louisville, Ky./Brown), and Clayton Patton (Bolivar/Tuscarawas Valley) contribute off the bench.
Muskingum (2-7, 0-4) fell 68-63 to Baldwin-Wallace in their most recent game. The Muskies trailed by just one at intermission and even led for brief periods of time in the second half, but the foul line proved to be the difference in the game. Baldwin-Wallace made 22 of 26 shots from the charity stripe (.846) while Muskingum was just 8-of-20 (.400).
The Muskies have struggled to score the ball this season. They are last in the conference in scoring (58.6) field goal percentage (.392), and free throw percentage (.601) while ranking ninth in three-point field goal percentage (.287).
Senior forwards Josh Brindley and Kyle Clinedinst carry the bulk of the load for Muskingum. Clinedinst averages 15.4 points per game while leading the OAC in minutes (36.6) and is second in rebounding (9.7). Brindley averages a team-best 16.2 points per game while grabbing 6.0 rebounds per game. No other player averages more than 6.8 points per game.
Tickets for the game will be available at the door. No pre-sale tickets will be available. Admission to the game is $5 for adults and $3 for students.
There will be an online LIVE AUDIO broadcast and LIVE STATS of the game.
Wood Joins 1,000-Point Club
Senior Jimmy Wood will be recognized prior to the game for becoming the 26th player in school history to score 1,000 career points. Wood hit the 1,000-point milestone on a three-pointer that gave the Purple Raiders a 61-59 lead with 46 seconds remaining in Saturday's overtime loss to Wilmington. With five points in the extra session, Wood currently has 1,005 career points.
Last Meeting
Mount Union shot just 8-of-24 from the field in the opening 20 minutes and trailed 25-17 at halftime. Despite a 45-point explosion in the second half, the Purple Raiders were unable to overcome their deficit, falling 69-62 in Alliance.
Jimmy Wood and Dave Pellerite led the way for Mount Union. Wood scored a game-high 18 points and added nine rebounds. Pellerite recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Ben Hodkinson was also in double-figures with 10 points.
Carson Thomas led Muskingum with 16 points, including 13 in the second half. Kyle Clinedinst scored 12 points while George Williams and Mike Romesburg added nine points apiece.
Projected Mount Union Starters
- #20 Nate Jacubec, 5-11, Fr., G – 10.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.8 apg
- #4 Jimmy Wood, 6-6, Sr., F – 16.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 83.3% FT
- #31 Matt Wier, 6-7, Sr., C – 7.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg
- #12 T.J. Gillespie, 5-11, So., G – 10.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.8 apg
- #3 Justen Little, 5-11, Jr., G – 2.4 ppg, 2.6 apg, 2.2 rpg
Projected Muskingum Starters
- #15 Clay Owings, 6-2, So., G – 3.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg
- #21 Josh Brindley, 6-4, Sr., F – 16.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg
- #33 Kyle Clinedinst, 6-5, Sr., F – 15.3 ppg, 9.7 rpg
- #22 Logan Kimble, 6-2, Fr., G – 5.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg
- #10 Carson Thomas, 6-0, Sr., G – 6.8 ppg
Coaches
Mike Fuline (Kent State '98) is in his first season at Mount Union after a successful career at the high school level that included winning the 2010 OHSAA Division I State Championship at Massillon Jackson. Fuline has the Purple Raiders off to a 3-6 start and is in search of his first OAC win.
Gene Ford(Muskingum'74) is in his fifth season at his alma mater. Ford has led the Muskies to 47-65 record. An assistant coach at Muskingum for two seasons, Ford inherited the program from his son, who went to Kent State as an assistant coach. Prior to his stint at Muskingum, Ford was a very successful coach at Cambridge High School, earning 400 career victories in 25 seasons. Ford was inducted into the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2007 and was named OHSBCA Division II Coach of the Year in 1988. At Muskingum, Ford ranks second all-time in scoring with 1,717 career points, was an All-American honoree, a three-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference selection, and was named OAC Player of the Year as a senior.
The Series
Mount Union has lost eight of the last nine meetings with Muskingum, with last season's 57-51 win in New Concord snapping a seven-game losing streak.
Like Father, Like Son
Head coach Gene Ford and his son, Geno, are the only father-son combination to have been the head men's basketball coach at the same Ohio Athletic Conference school. Geno played for his father at Cambridge High School, followed by a successful collegiate career at Ohio University. The 2005-06 season marked Geno's first as the head coach at Muskingum, and he led the Muskies to a 29-22 record during his two years at the helm. He left Muskingum to take an assistant coaching position at Kent State, where he was the head coach the past three years. Geno is currently is currently in his first season as the head men's basketball coach at Bradley University.
Mount Union Player Notes
Tom Berlekamp - Jr., F, North Royalton/Holy Name
- Averaging 2.6 ppg and 5.7 rpg
- Career-high in points (7), rebounds (14), and assists (4) vs. Grove City (11/18/11)
- Career-high 5 steals at Geneva (11/19/11)
- Transferred from Lakeland Community College
Jimmy Darnley - So., F, Canton/GlenOak
- Averaging 5.0 mpg off the bench
- Career-high 5 points at Ohio Northern (2/12/11)
- Career-high 4 rebounds vs. Wilmington (2/5/11)
T.J. Gillespie - So., G, Toledo/St. John's
- Averaging 7.6 ppg
- Has scored in double-figures twice this season
- Missed 2 games earlier in the season due to an injury
- Season-high 19 points vs. Grove City (11/18/11)
- Career-high 20 points vs. Ohio Northern (1/8/11)
- Career-high 5 assists vs. Otterbein (1/22/11)
Stevie Griffin - Fr., F, Canton/Massillon Jackson
- Third on team in scoring (8.4) and second in 3-pointers (14) in 8 games off the bench
- Has scored in double-figures twice this season
- Coaches vs. Cancer Tip-Off Tournament MVP
- Career-high 22 points and 6 three-pointers off the bench at Geneva (11/19/11)
- Career-high 8 rebounds and 4 assists vs. Westminster (11/22/11)
- Played for Coach Fuline and won 2010 OHSAA Division I state title at Massillon Jackson High School
Nate Jacubec - Fr., G, Struthers/Struthers
- Second on team in scoring (9.6) and assists (21)
- Has scored in double-figures four times this season
- Career-high 17 points vs. Westminster (11/22/11) and vs. John Carroll (12/10/11)
- Career-high 3 three-pointers vs. Grove City (11/18/11)
- Career-high 6 rebounds at Waynesburg (11/26/11)
- Career-high 5 assists vs. Hiram (11/15/11)
Matt Kiger - Jr., F, Williamstown, W.Va./Williamstown
- Averaging 6.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg off the bench
- Leads the team in field goal percentage (.733)
- Season-high 11 points at Geneva (11/19/11) and vs. Otterbein (12/3/11)
- Season-high 6 rebounds at Waynesburg (11/26/11)
- Career-high 20 points at Otterbein (12/4/10) and vs. Waynesburg (12/30/10)
- Career-high 9 rebounds vs. Waynesburg (12/30/10)
Justen Little - Jr., G, Galion/Galion
- Has started the past 6 games at point guard
- Leads the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (6.8:1)
- Ranks second in the conference in assists (3.8)
- Career-high 5 points vs. Westminster (11/22/11)
- Career-high 5 rebounds at Geneva (11/19/11)
- Career-high 7 assists vs. Otterbein (12/3/11) and vs. Wilmington (12/17/11)
Clayton Patton - Fr., G, Bolivar/Tuscarawas Valley
- Averaging 4.7 ppg in 8.8 mpg off the bench
- Career-high 11 points at Capital (12/10/11)
Colton Troyer - Jr., F, Millersburg/Berlin Hiland
- Averaging 5.8 minutes off the bench
- Transferred from Hesston College (Kan.)
Matt Wier - Sr., F, New Castle, Pa./Mohawk
- Averaging 7.3 ppg and 4.3 rpg
- Season-high 19 points vs. Hiram (11/15/11)
- Career-high 28 points vs. Ohio Northern (12/12/09)
- Career-high 9 rebounds at Hiram (11/15/10), vs. Waynesburg (12/30/10), and vs. Hiram (11/15/11)
- Played one season on a baseball scholarship at West Virginia
Keith Williams - Jr., G, Louisville, Ky./Brown
- Averaging 3.8 ppg off the bench
- Leads the team in steals (12)
- Career-high 13 points to go with 4 steals and 3 assists in season debut vs. Westminster (11/22/11)
Jimmy Wood - Sr., F, Wintersville/Indian Creek
- Has scored 1,005 career points
- Scored 1,000th career point on three-pointer to go ahead by 2 points with less than a minute remaining in regulation vs. Wilmington (12/17/11)
- Leads the conference in scoring (20.4)
- Leads the team in rebounding (6.3) and 3-pointers (24)
- Recorded second career double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds vs. Westminster (11/22/11)
- Season -high 10 rebounds vs. Westminster (11/22/11)
- Career-high 32 points vs. Wilmington (12/17/11)
- Career-high 12 rebounds at John Carroll (2/22/11)
- Father, Jim, played basketball at Georgia Tech
