The Mount Union men's basketball team plats at Heidelberg its final regular season Saturday afternoon at 3 pm in what will be a play-in game environment. The Purple Raiders defeated The 'Berg in their prior meeting this season and both teams are battling to claim one of the final two spots in next week's Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament.
The Purple Raiders (10-14, 6-11) have won two games in a row and control their own destiny and are in the OAC Tournament with a win after defeating Baldwin-Wallace Wednesday night to move a game ahead of Heidelberg, Muskingum, and Otterbein in the standings. A loss would complicate matters as at least Heidelberg would be tied with the Raiders for seventh place. Wins by Muskingum and Otterbein would create a complex scenario in which Muskingum and Heidelberg would claim the final two spots via tiebreakers.
If the Raiders reach the OAC Tournament, they will be on the road no matter what. Who they will play is up in the air. If they are the No. 7 seed, they will head to Ada to take on Ohio Northern. If they are the No. 8 seed, they will either head to Berea to take on Baldwin-Wallace or make the trip across the state to Wilmington. Due to the new format of the OAC Tournament in which the top two seeds receive a double-bye, the Raiders would play on the road again Tuesday night.
Defense has been the key to success for the Raiders, who allow opponents to score a conference-low 65.3 points per game and are second in field goal percentage defense as opponents shoot 42.5-percent shooting from the field. The 'Berg scored just 49 points when they visited Alliance earlier this season.
The offense has been fueled by the three-point shot as the Raiders are second in in the conference makes per game and are just four away from tying the school record for most in a season (189). Senior Jimmy Wood (Wintersville/Indian Creek) leads the conference with 57 three-pointers while freshmen Nate Jacubec (Struthers/Struthers) and Stevie Griffin (Canton/Massillon Jackson) are also among the top ten with 41 and 39 three-pointers, respectively.
Wood is the conference's leading scoring at 17.5 points per game and has been the Raiders' go-to option at the end of games throughout the season. Despite only scoring nine points in the win over Baldwin-Wallace on Wednesday, Wood made a big three-pointer late in the game to cut the Raider deficit to a single point.
Jacubec poured in a career-high 24 points Wednesday night and went on personal 8-0 to give the Raiders their first lead of the game midway through the second half. The conference's top free throw shooter (.821), Jacubec made of 10 of his 11 attempts and his three-pointer with a minute remaining put the dagger in the Yellow Jackets.
Griffin averages 9.1 points per game and has given the Raiders a boost since being inserted into the starting lineup 12 games ago. Sophomore T.J. Gillespie (Toledo/St. John's) has averaged 10 points over the past three games.
Heidelberg (7-17, 5-12) scores 69.4 points per game, but allows opponents to score a league-worst 76.3 points per game. They are also last in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.297) and turnovers per game (17.3).
The 'Berg snapped its six-game skid with a 73-62 win over Otterbein Wednesday night and a win would greatly improve its chances of continuing its season in the OAC Tournament next week.
Guard Dane Givner leads the way for Heidelberg with team-best averages of 13.4 points and 3.1 assists. Forwards Victor Fortkamp (6-8) and Nate Davis (6-5) form one of the conference's top interior duos. Davis is the conference's top shot-blocker (1.92) and ranks third in rebounding (8.8) while scoring 11.6 points per game. Fortkamp is averaging 10.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 54.0-percent from the field.
Last Meeting
The Purple Raiders used a 13-5 surge at end of the first half to take a 31-23 halftime lead. Mount Union gradually extended its lead throughout the second half and came away with a 67-49 victory over Heidelberg in Alliance.
Jimmy Wood led all scorers with 18 points to go with four rebounds and four steals.
Freshmen Stevie Griffin (Canton/Massillon Jackson) and Nate Jacubec (Struthers/Struthers) added nine points apiece. Justen Little scored a career-high 10 points, tied a career-high with seven rebounds, and added three assists for the Purple Raiders. T.J. Gillespie came off the bench to score 11 points.
Heidelberg was led by Victor Fortkamp, who had 10 points. Nate Davis scored nine points and Dane Givner added eight points for the Student Pirnce.
The Series
This will be the 65th meeting all-time between with Mount Union holding a narrow 33-31 advantage in the series after winning the past three meetings.
Projected Mount Union Starters
- #32 Stevie Griffin, 6-3, Fr., G – 9.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg
- #4 Jimmy Wood, 6-6, Sr., F – 17.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg
- #33 Matt Piloto, 6-6, Jr., F – 2.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg
- #20 Nate Jacubec, 5-11, Fr., G – 11.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg
- #3 Justen Little, 5-11, Jr., G – 2.2 ppg, 3.5 apg, 2.8 rpg
Projected Heidelberg Starters
- #33 Bryan Crawford, 6-5, Fr., G – 2.7 ppg
- #40 Nate Davis, 6-5, Jr., F – 11.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.9 bpg
- #25 Victor Fortkamp, 6-8, So., C – 10.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg
- #2 Dane Givner, 6-3, Jr., G – 13.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.3 apg
- #1 Quintin Aden, Jr., 6-2, Jr., G – 5.6 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 10-14 start and in contention for an Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament berth.
Anthony Gholson (Ohio Northern '88) has a 42-63 record in his fourth season at Heidelberg. Gholson came to Heidelberg after four seasons as an assistant coach at Ohio Northern, where he was a member of the school's NCAA Tournament team in 1988. He had previous head coaching experience at Columbus State Community College, where he led the Cougars to an 86-36 record over four seasons.
Up Next
If Mount Union earns a spot in the OAC Tournament, the Raiders will be on the road Monday night. Their most likely opponents will be Baldwin-Wallace or Ohio Northern, teams they swept during the regular season.
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 12th on the school's career scoring list with 1,241 career points and needs 23 points to surpass Don Talbert for 11th place. He scored nine points in the Purple Raiders' 62-57 win over Baldwin-Wallace on Wednesday.
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.
The Raiders could break the record for most three-pointers in a season. The current record, set during the 2008-09 season, is 189. The Raiders have made 185 this season and have made at least four in every game.
Mount Union Player Notes
Jimmy Darnley - So., F, Canton/GlenOak
- Averaging 6.3 mpg in 17 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 7.1 ppg
- Has scored in double-figures seven times this season
- 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 (9.1) and three-pointers (39)
- Has scored in double-figures nine times this season
- Scored the go-ahead points in wins over Ohio Northern and Baldwin-Wallace in January
- 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 vs. Westminster (11/22/11) and at Muskingum (2/1/12)
- Season-high/career-high 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 (11.9), assists (41), and three-pointers (41)
- Has scored in double-figures 14 times this season
- Leads the OAC in free throw shooting (.821)
- Season-high/career -high 21 points at Otterbein (1/21/12) and at John Carroll (1/25/12)
- Season-high/career-high 5 three-pointers at John Carroll (1/25/12)
- 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 4.3 ppg and 2.7 rpg
- Leads the team in field goal percentage (.596)
- Has started 10 games this season
- 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
- Fourth in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.0)
- Ranks second in the conference in assists (3.5)
- 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 3.1 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 2.1 ppg and 3.7 rpg in 10 games
- Made first career start vs. Marietta (2/8/12)
- Season-high/career-high 5 points and 7 rebounds vs. Ohio Northern (2/10/12)
- 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 5.5 mpg in 11 games off the bench
- Transferred from Hesston College (Kan.)
Matt Wier - Sr., F, New Castle, Pa./Mohawk
- Averaging 4.6 ppg and 3.4 rpg
- Has started 10 games this season
- 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 3.4 ppg off the bench
- Season-high/career -high 15 points on Saturday at Wilmington (2/4/12)
- Season-high/career -high 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 (17.5) and three-pointers (57)
- Leads the team in rebounding (5.3)
- Has scored 20+ points eight times this season
- Ranks 12th on school's all-time scoring list with 1,241 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)
- Set Louis Fleming Basinger Memorial Tournament scoring record with 29 points against Immaculata (1/22/12) and was named to the all-tournament team
- Season-high/career -high 32 points vs. Wilmington (12/17/11)
- Season-high/career -high 16 rebounds vs. Immaculata (1/22/12)
- Father, Jim, played basketball at Georgia Tech
