Complete PDF Notes

Upcoming in Gray Wolves Basketball: Lourdes returns home to Tam-o-Shanter on Saturday afternoon to face a NAIA Division II top-25 opponent for the sixth time this season as the Gray Wolves entertain 10th-ranked Cornerstone.  The Gray Wolves are in a log jam in the middle of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference standings, but trail the first place Golden Eagles by just two games in the league ledger.

Head Coach Andre Smith: In his third season both on the Lourdes bench and overall as a men's collegiate head coach, Andre Smith has a 62-50 (.554) record.  He is the only head coach in Lourdes program's history.  Smith was the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2012-2013.

Series Notes: Cornerstone holds a 4-1 advantage in the all-time series with Lourdes dating back to Dec. 10, 2011.  The Golden Eagles swept last year's meetings with a 61-50 win in Grand Rapids, Mich. before downing the Gray Wolves 75-63 at Owens Community College.  Cornerstone won the only previous meeting at Tam-o-Shanter 66-51 on Feb. 1, 2012.  Lourdes lone victory in the series came on Feb. 22, 2012, a 67-58 triumph over the 23rd-ranked Golden Eagles in the quarterfinals of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament.

Wrapping Up Last Week: Lourdes went on a late 13-3 run to break open a close game on the way to a 75-60 victory over Marygrove last Saturday (Jan. 4) at Tam-o-Shanter.  Lourdes shot 53.2% from the floor in the victory, holding the Mustangs to just 31.8% shooting.  Zach Steinmetz led the Gray Wolves with 22 points and 15 rebounds while Eric Worthey added 16 points and 11 boards.  On Wednesday (Jan. 8), Northwestern Ohio got a put back lay-up at the buzzer to defeat Lourdes 64-62 in Lima.  Steinmetz added another double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds while Jerome Talton added a team-high 16 points.

Scouting Cornerstone: The Golden Eagles have won three straight and 10 of their last 11 games overall following a 67-49 home victory over Indiana Tech on Wednesday (Jan. 8).  Wes Hudson leads Cornerstone averaging 18.1 points per game while Ben Lanning adds 14.0 points per night.  Lanning ranks eighth in NAIA Division II averaging 1.9 blocked shots per game as well.  As a team the Golden Eagles rank 10th nationally outscoring teams by 15.3 points per contest while also holding teams to 40.2% shooting from the floor, another mark that ranks 10th in the country.

Steinmetz Named WHAC Player of the Week: Zach Steinmetz was named to the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Player of the Week after scoring 22 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in last Saturday's win over Marygrove.  The redshirt-freshman made 9-of-18 shots from the floor while playing 39 of the game's 40 minutes.

Home Sweet Home: Lourdes is the only team in the WHAC that is still unbeaten on its home floor this season, posting a perfect 5-0 mark entering Saturday's play.  In fact, the Gray Wolves have won 10 consecutive games at Tam-o-Shanter, with the last loss coming Jan. 19, 2013 to #11 Davenport.

Another Ranked Foe: Cornerstone, which enters the game ranked 10th in the country, is the sixth top-25 team that the Gray Wolves have faced this year in their first 18 games.  Lourdes is 1-4 against the ranked opposition ,with the victory coming at then 10th-ranked Davenport 59-55 on Nov. 23, 2013.  All-time Lourdes is 6-17 against NAIA Division II top-25 programs.

Making Free Throws Equal Victories: Lourdes is 8-0 this season when shooting a better percentage from the charity stripe than the opposition.  As a team Lourdes is shooting 66.8% from the line, averaging 23.2 attempts per contest.

Talton Scores Career High: Jerome Talton tallied a career-high 16 points coming off of the bench in Wednesday's loss at Northwestern Ohio, bettering his previous best of 15 points scored in his second collegiate game against Brescia on Nov. 4, 2011.  Talton has now tallied double figures six times this year, all in a reserve role, and is averaging 12.0 points per night over the last three games.

Hot Shooting of Late: Lourdes has shot 55.3% from the floor since the calendar turned to 2014 after connecting on 57.9% from the field against Northwestern Ohio.  The Gray Wolves shot a sizzling 65.2% in the second half against the Racers, to battle back from a 17-point deficit to take the lead in the final minute.

Double Trouble: Zach Steinmetz has recorded back-to-back double-doubles after a 13-point, 13-rebound performance against Northwestern Ohio on Wednesday.  The redshirt-freshman has tallied double-doubles in three of his last four games overall, and has a total of six double-doubles on the year.  Eric Worthey also registered his first double-double of the year against Marygrove with a 16-point, 11-rebound effort in the win.

Defense Picks Up Where it Left Off: Lourdes played the stingiest defense of any NAIA Division II team during the 2012-2013 season, allowing just 51.3 points per contest while also leading the nation allowing the opposition to shoot just 36.8% from the floor.  Already this season the Gray Wolves rank third in the country in scoring defense, giving up just 61.1 points per night while allowing the opposition to shoot just 28.3% from the three-point range, fourth best in the nation.

Captains Named: Lourdes has two captains on the roster this season.  Serving in the leadership role for 2013-2014 are Elvin Butler and Jake DuPree, both first time captains.

This and That: Reginald Martin leads NAIA Division II with an 8.0 assist-to-turnover ratio this year ... Enique Mason made his season debut on Wednesday against Northwestern Ohio ... Lourdes has scored 40 or more points in the paint on five occasions this year.