FULL NOTES IN PDF

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Dominican men's basketball team will look to close out the calendar year strong when it travels to face Wheeling at 3 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 18.

OPENING TIP-OFF

• Ohio Dominican breaks from conference play to close out the calendar year at Wheeling.
• The Panthers are coming off a 1-1 split in road G-MAC action last week, a stretch highlighted by a 76-66 win over Findlay.
• Ohio Dominican also outscored nationally-ranked Hillsdale the game prior, 36-34 in the second half. 
• It was a balanced scoring effort for ODU that saw them defeat Findlay, as all five starters scored nine or more points, including three with 17 points. 
• Alek West flirted with a triple-double for the second time this season, as his performance against Findlay was his second game this winter with double digit points and eight-plus rebounds and eight-plus assists.
• West leads ODU in all three major statistical categories, averaging 14.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.
• Zach Szul has scored in double figures in 6-of-10 games this season, and is coming off a season-high 17 points and eight rebounds at Findlay.
• Sean Marks joins Szul with a season scoring average over 10 points per game. Both have over 15 three-pointers made this winter, with Marks adding 3.1 assists per contest. 
• Mitch Wilkinson tallied a career high with his 17 points at UF. Wilkinson made five triples in the game and has started seven times this season.
• In his first collegiate season, Max Stepnaiak has scored 10-plus points four times, including last time out.  
• Saturday will mark the first meeting between ODU and WU in the Panthers' Division II era.
• Wheeling holds a 6-2 edge in the all-time series, but the two sides have not met since the 1981-82 season.
• ODU is only 0-1 in games played against the MEC under Coach Winter. 

ABOUT WHEELING

• Wheeling is off to a 3-7 start this winter.
• The Cardinals have played five Mountain East Conference games and are 2-3 in league action. 
• Prior to the start of the season, Wheeling was picked seventh in the MEC preseason coaches poll.
• WU is just 1-2 at home this season, with its last home game coming on Dec. 8, a 67-64 setback to West Virginia State.
• In its last outing, Wheeling dropped a 76-71 contest at non-conference foe, Slippery Rock.
• The Cardinals rank 10th in the MEC in scoring, 69.2 points per game and are shooting 43.0 percent from the field.
• Wheeling does have two of the top 12 scorers in the MEC though in Jordan Reid (19.1) and Jarett Haines (16.4). 
• Reid and Haines both have over 50 rebounds this winter, with Reid also shooting 49.6 percent from the floor.
• Wheeling does have one of the top free throw shooting percentages in Division II at .774.
• Defensively, WU is conceding 75.7 points per game, with opponents shooting 47.0 percent from the field.

Contact: Tyler Jester

jestert@ohiodominican.edu