- TV (Tape Delay):
- SportsTime Ohio (Wed. Jan. 25 at 11 pm; Thurs. Jan. 26 at 5 am)
- WEBCAST:
- RADIO:
- LIVE STATS
The Mount Union men's basketball looks to continue its ascent up the Ohio Athletic Conference standings when they travel to University Heights to take on John Carroll Wednesday night. Scheduled for 7:30 pm, SportsTime Ohio will air the game on tape delay at 11 pm Wednesday night and at 5 am Thursday morning.
In a matchup that features one of the OAC's hottest teams against one of the OAC's top teams, the Purple Raiders hope to avenge a 79-62 loss at home to the Blue Streaks back in December. The Raiders (8-9, 4-6) have won four of their past five conference games and five of seven overall. Defense has been the key, as the Raiders have held four opponents under 50 points during that stretch and are allowing a conference-best 65.4 points per game on the season. John Carroll (12-4, 7-3) is a game behind Capital for first place in the OAC. The Blue Streaks, who lead the conference in scoring at 84 points per game, were held to a season-low 68 points in their loss to the Crusaders Saturday night.
Mount Union and John Carroll are the top two three-point-shooting teams in the OAC this season. The Blue Streaks lead the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.376) and three-pointers per game (8.7) while the Raiders rank second in both categories (.358/8.1).
Senior Jimmy Wood (Wintersville/Indian Creek) and freshman Nate Jacubec (Struthers/Struthers) have been a dynamic duo for the Raiders and scored 37 of their 48 points against Otterbein this past weekend. Jacubec went for a career-high 21 points and his 15 first-half points almost matched Otterbein's total for the half (17).
Wood is averaging 19.4 points per game to lead the conference in scoring (19.4) and three-pointers per game (2.7). An All-OAC performer last season, Wood has shown a versatile skill set for a player his size (6-6) and also leads the Raiders in rebounding (5.9), steals (1.5), and minutes played (33.7).
Jacubec has quickly become one of the top players for the Raiders. His 11.3 points per game are good for second on the team and ranks second among freshmen in the conference. Jacubec's shooting ability has been on display all season, as his 29 three-pointers are second on the team and his 82.7-percent free throw percentage is second in the conference.
Junior point guard Justen Little (Galion/Galion) and freshman Stevie Griffin (Canton/Massillon Jackson) have also been major contributors for Mount Union. Little is second in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.43) and second in the conference with 3.7 assists per game while Griffin is shooting a conference-best 45.2-percent on three-pointers to go along with 9.0 points per game on the season.
John Carroll enters the game unbeaten at home, going a perfect 5-0 at the DeCarlo Varsity Center this season. The Blue Streaks look to push the tempo and are 18th in the nation in scoring and lead the OAC in steals (10.1) and turnovers forced (17.9).
John Carroll has six players who average at least eight points per game, led by guard Corey Shontz. The senior is third in the conference in scoring (16.9) and steals (2.1) while averaging a conference-best 4.4 assists per game. Senior forward Mark Hester also scores in double-figures at 12.8 points per game and grabs 7.6 rebounds per game to rank fourth in the conference.
Guards Joe Meyer (8.3), Michael Hartnett (8.3), and Conor Sweeney (8.1) and forward/center Kyle Hubbard (8.1) also contribute to the Blue Streaks' balanced scoring attack. Shontz (34), Hartnett (31), and Meyer (23) have made at least 23 three-pointers on the season and rank among the top four in career three-pointers in school history. Shontz, Meyer, and guard Jeff Chahine all shoot better than 40-percent from long distance.
Last Meeting
Mount Union had fewer field goals (9) than turnovers (12) in a first half that featured seven Blue Streak three-pointers and trailed 44-23 at halftime. The Purple Raiders opened the second stanza on a 15-7 run to trim the deficit to 13 points, but never got any close as John Carroll earned a 79-62 win in Alliance.
Jimmy Wood paced Mount Union with 23 points while Matt Wier added 15 points and a team-best seven rebounds.
Corey Shontz was the only Blue Streak in double-figures, but he went for a big 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting from the field, tying his career mark for field goals and finishing a point shy of his career-best in points. Mark Hester grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and scored four points.
The Series
This is the 74th meeting between the teams with John Carroll holding a 38-35 lead in the series. John Carroll has won the past five meetings, including all three a year ago. The last Raider victory game on December 9, 2009 at the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex. Jimmy Wood scored a game-high 22 points as the Raiders upset No. 2 John Carroll, 67-62.
Projected Mount Union Starters
- #32 Stevie Griffin, 6-3, Fr., G – 9.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, .452 FG%
- #4 Jimmy Wood, 6-6, Sr., F – 19.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, .451 3FG %
- #45 Matt Kiger, 6-5, Jr., C – 4.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg
- #20 Nate Jacubec, 5-11, Fr., G – 11.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.1 apg
- #3 Justen Little, 5-11, Jr., G – 2.5 ppg, 3.6 apg, 2.9 rpg
Projected John Carroll Starters
- #10 Michael Hartnett, 6-2, Sr., G – 8.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg
- #34 Mark Hester, 6-5, Sr., G/F – 12.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg
- #23 Kyle Hubbard, 6-5, Jr., F/C – 8.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg
- #14 Joe Meyer, 5-11, Sr., G – 8.3 ppg, 1.9 rpg
- #15 Corey Shontz, 6-1, Sr., G – 16.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.4 apg
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 an 8-9 start.
Mike Moran (Xavier '73) is 360-203 in his 20th season at John Carroll. Moran's teams have won nine OAC regular season titles, four OAC Tournament titles and made 10 trips to the NCAA Tournament. His 2003-04 team finished third in the nation.
Up Next
Mount Union returns home to play Capital on Saturday at 3 pm before heading to Muskingum and Wilmington next week.
Re-writing the Record Books
Senior Jimmy Wood became the 26th player in school history to score 1,000 career points, reaching the milestone against Wilmington on December 17th. Wood currently ranks 18th on the school's career scoring list with 1,151 career points and needs a single point to surpass Zettie Sims for 17th place. He scored 16 points in the Purple Raiders' 48-44 win at Otterbein Saturday. At his current pace, Wood will end his career as one of the top ten scorers in school history.
While the scoring record is out of reach for Wood, there are a few records that he has a chance to break. The records for most consecutive games played and three-point field goals in a season could fall by season's end.
The Raiders have tied a pair of school records this season. They made 13 three-pointers in back-to-back games against Immaculata (Pa.) and Lycoming (Pa.), tying the school record set against Baldwin-Wallace during the 1996-97 season. Their 33 three-point field goal attempts against Lycoming beat the school record previously set in the season-opener against Hiram.
At the halfway-point of the season, the Raiders are on pace to set the record for most three-pointers in a season. The current record, set during the 2008-09 season, is 189 and the Raiders have made 138 already this season.
Raiders Rank Among Nation's Best
Mount Union has a player among the top 100 nationally in four statistical categories this season.
Mount Union Player Notes
Tom Berlekamp - Jr., F, North Royalton/Holy Name
- Played in nine games this season, making seven starts
- Averaging 2.4 ppg and 4.7 rpg
- Season-high/career -high in points (7), rebounds (14), and assists (4) vs. Grove City (11/18/11)
- Season-high/career -high 5 steals at Geneva (11/19/11)
- Transferred from Lakeland Community College
Jimmy Darnley - So., F, Canton/GlenOak
- Averaging 5.9 mpg in 11 games 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 6.9 ppg
- Has scored in double-figures five times this season
- Shooting a team-best 88.0% from the free throw line
- Missed two 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 (9.0) and three-pointers (28)
- Leads the OAC in three-point field goal percentage (.452)
- Has scored in double-figures six times this season
- Scored the go-ahead points in wins over Ohio Northern and Baldwin-Wallace earlier this month
- Coaches vs. Cancer Tip-Off Tournament MVP
- Season-high/career-high 22 points and 6 three-pointers off the bench at Geneva (11/19/11)
- Season-high/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 (11.3), three-pointers (29), and assists (35)
- Has scored in double-figures 10 times this season
- Season-high/career -high 21 points at Otterbein (1/21/12)
- Season-high/career-high 4 three-pointers at Lycoming (1/3/12)
- Season-high/career-high 8 rebounds vs. Wilmington (12/17/11)
- Matched season-high/career-high with 5 assists at Lycoming (1/3/12)
Matt Kiger - Jr., F, Williamstown, W.Va./Williamstown
- Averaging 4.7 ppg and 2.8 rpg
- Leads the team in field goal percentage (.622)
- Has started the past eight games after coming off the bench in the first nine
- Season-high 11 points three times, most recently vs. Muskingum (12/21/11)
- Season-high 6 rebounds at Waynesburg (11/26/11) and vs. Muskingum (12/21/11)
- 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
- Second in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.43)
- Ranks second in the conference in assists (3.6)
- Season-high/career-high 10 points vs. Heidelberg (1/14/12)
- Season-high/career-high 7 rebounds at Ohio Northern (1/7/12)
- Season-high/career-high 7 assists vs. Otterbein (12/3/11) and vs. Wilmington (12/17/11)
Clayton Patton - Fr., G, Bolivar/Tuscarawas Valley
- Averaging 3.9 ppg
- Scored 10 points at Lycoming (1/3/12), reaching double-figures for the second time this season
- Made first career start vs. Muskingum (12/21/11)
- Season-high/career -high 11 points at Capital (12/10/11)
Matt Piloto - Jr., F, Rotonda West, Fla./Lemon Bay
- Averaging 2.7 ppg and 3.0 rpg in three games off the bench
- Played quarterback for the Mount Union football team, leading them to a seventh consecutive Stagg Bowl appearance
Colton Troyer - Jr., F, Millersburg/Berlin Hiland
- Averaging 5.6 mpg in 10 games off the bench
- Transferred from Hesston College (Kan.)
Matt Wier - Sr., F, New Castle, Pa./Mohawk
- Averaging 4.7 ppg and 3.4 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 3.3 ppg off the bench
- Second on the team in steals (20)
- 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
- Leads the conference in scoring (19.4) and three-pointers (46)
- Leads the team in rebounding (5.9)
- Has scored 20+ points seven times this season
- Ranks 18th on school's all-time scoring list with 1,151 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)
- Recorded third career double-double with 29 points and career-high 16 rebounds vs. Immaculata (1/22/12)
