Complete PDF Notes

Upcoming in Gray Wolves Basketball: Lourdes enters the second to last week of the regular season looking to secure a berth in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament which begins on Feb. 26.  The Gray Wolves host Northwestern Ohio on Wednesday evening before taking to the road for the final time during the regular season on Saturday, heading to Grand Rapids, Mich. to face nationally-ranked Cornerstone.

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 65-56 (.537) 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: Lourdes is 6-1 all-time against Northwestern Ohio dating back to Dec. 30, 2010 after the Racers defeated Lourdes in Lima, Ohio earlier this year.  The Gray Wolves hold a 3-0 series edge in games played in at Tam-o-Shanter.  Cornerstone is 5-1 all-time against Lourdes dating back to Dec. 10, 2011 after the Golden Eagles defeated the Gray Wolves in overtime earlier this year.  Cornerstone holds a 2-1 edge in games played between the two schools in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Earlier This Season: A Derrick Tate put back as time expired lifted Northwestern Ohio to a 64-62 victory over Lourdes on Jan. 8 in Lima, Ohio.  Jerome Talton led Lourdes with 16 points while Zach Steinmetz had a double-double with 13 points and 13 boards.  Johnny Elliott led the Racers with 17 points while Tate added 16 more.  Lourdes fought back from 14 points down to force overtime on Jan. 10 before falling to #10 Cornerstone 76-71 at Tam-o-Shanter.  Eric Worthey led Lourdes with 17 points while Steinmetz added 16 points and 14 rebounds.  Ben Lanning paced the Golden Eagles with 27 points while Wes Hudson added 19 more.

Wrapping Up Last Week: Lourdes committed 23 turnovers and shot just 34.1% from the floor on Wednesday evening, falling at Siena Heights 54-43.  Ron Dukes and Jake DuPree each led the Gray Wolves with 14 points.  Zach Steinmetz scored 24 points and had 13 rebounds and Eric Worthey added 20 points on Saturday, but Marygrove had five players finish in double figures as the Mustangs defeated the Gray Wolves 78-70.

Scouting Northwestern Ohio: The Racers have won two straight and four of their last five after a 91-75 victory over Indiana Tech on Saturday.  Johnny Elliott leads the team in scoring averaging 18.8 points per game and is 15th nationally with 2.3 steals per contest.  Ed Jenkins adds 16.6 points per night for the Racers.

Scouting Cornerstone: The Golden Eagles enter the week having won 12 straight games following a 76-44 victory over Concordia (Mich.) on Saturday.  Cornerstone travels to Indiana Tech on Wednesday before hosting Lourdes.  Wes Hudson leads the Golden Eagles averaging 19.0 points per game while Ben Lanning adds 14.4 points per night and is third nationally with 51 blocked shots.  Cornerstone is fourth in the country outscoring the opposition by 16.3 points per game.

Schedule Change: Lourdes regular season finale against Aquinas has been moved to Owens Community College in Perrysburg due to a scheduling conflict at Tam-o-Shanter.  The game will also tip off one hour earlier than originally schedule, with the ball now being tossed into the air at 2 p.m.

Looking to Secure a Tournament Berth: With four games left in the regular season, Lourdes holds a three-game lead over Siena Heights to secure a spot in the upcoming Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament.  The Gray Wolves will secure a tournament berth with two more victories or a win and a Siena Heights loss.  

Nearing a Third Straight Winning Season: The Gray Wolves are two victories shy of securing their third straight winning season in just the program's fourth season.  Lourdes needs to get to the 16-win plateau to assure themselves of finishing the year over the .500 mark and currently have 14 victories.

Rebounding Nationally: Lourdes ranks 14th in all NAIA Division II outrebounding the opposition by 6.6 boards per night.  Zach Steinmetz is fourth in the country individually, grabbing 10.7 rebounds per contest.  He also ranks fifth in the nation on the offensive glass, pulling down 3.7 offensive caroms per game.

Playing Defense: Lourdes ranks third in the nation allowing just 61.8 points per game.  The Gray Wolves are holding the opposition to just 29.9% shooting from three-point range, third best in the country, and 41.6% shooting overall, a mark that ranks 17th in NAIA Division II.  

Too Many Turnovers: Prior to the last two games, Lourdes had turned the ball over more than 20 times in a game just twice all season.  Against Siena Heights the Gray Wolves had 23 miscues and then turned the ball over 21 times at Marygrove.

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: Zach Steinmetz has tallied 13 double-doubles over the first 26 games this season ... the Gray Wolves did not tally any bench points against Siena Heights ... six times this season Lourdes has failed to make a three-pointer in a game ... Steinmetz and Isiah Boddie are the only players to appear in every game this season ... the Cornerstone game will be Lourdes eighth contest against a ranked foe this season and its sixth against a top-10 team.