Complete PDF Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Basketball: Lourdes rings in 2016 on Saturday afternoon as the Gray Wolves host Madonna as the two schools return to Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference play.  Just two games separate the two teams in the league standings, as conference action passes the one-third mark on the season.

Head Coach Karen McConnell: In her second season on the Lourdes bench Karen McConnell has a 18-55 (.247) record.  Overall as a women's collegiate head coach, McConnell has a 298-302 (.497) record in her 22nd season.  She is only the second head coach in Lourdes program's history.

Series Notes: Madonna is 8-0 all-time against Lourdes in a series that dates back to Jan. 11, 2012.  The Crusaders swept both meetings last season, scoring a 62-55 victory in Livonia, Mich. before downing the Gray Wolves 79-60 at Tam-o-Shanter.  Madonna has won all four previous meetings at Tam-o-Shanter.

Wrapping Up Last Week (or Two Weeks Ago): Cincinnati Christian led from start to finish and by as many as 35 points on Dec. 18 as the Eagles defeated Lourdes 71-47 in the Gray Wolves' final game of the 2015 calendar year.  The Eagles shot 58.3% from the floor over the final 20 minutes and forced 25 turnovers in the win.  Niki Meyer led Lourdes with 19 points while Jesse Fidler tallied 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Scouting Madonna: The Crusaders have been idle since Dec. 18, just like Lourdes, when Madonna dropped a 104-45 decision at home against NCAA Division I foe Eastern Michigan.  Lindsey Hernden leads three Crusaders scoring in double figures, averaging 16.1 points per game while handing out a team-best 3.6 assists per night.  Becca Sabol adds 13.6 points per contest while grabbing a team-leading 9.5 rebounds per game and Shara Long is scoring 10.5 points per night.

Trying to Start 2016 on a Positive Note: Lourdes is looking to build some momentum coming out of a two-week Christmas break.  The Gray Wolves are 1-3 all-time in their first game of the calendar year, having defeated Marygrove to kick off 2014.

Looking Back on the 2015 Calendar Year:  Lourdes posted a 7-22 record overall during the entire 2015 calendar year, winning four Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tilts.

Quite the Tight Standings: As the Gray Wolves head into the second third of the WHAC schedule, Lourdes is currently tied for 10th place in the standings, with the top eight teams earning berths in the postseason WHAC tournament.  However, Lourdes is just two games out of sixth place in the league ledger.

Consistently in Double Figures: With her 15 points at Cincinnati Christian, Jesse Fidler has now tallied double figures in 12 of her 14 contests this year.  The sophomore has scored 10 or more points in 10 of her last 11 games as well, and leads the Gray Wolves averaging 13.4 points per game on the season.  She is the only Lourdes player averaging in double figures.

Crashing the Boards: Jesse Fidler and Lindsey Motycka have led Lourdes on the glass through the first half of the season.  Fidler is grabbing 5.6 rebounds per game, and has pulled down 47 offensive boards among her 78 total rebounds.  Motycka has cleaned up the defensive glass, grabbing 52 of her 76 rebounds on that end of the floor, and averages 5.4 boards per night.

Meyer Connects from the Stripe: Niki Meyer has made 21-of-23 free throws this season (91.3%), including 17 straight free throws dating back to the second quarter of the Cornerstone contest on Nov. 14.  The sophomore is the only Gray Wolf shooting better than 70% from the charity stripe (with more than two attempts).  As a team Lourdes is shooting just 63.0% from the line.

Halftime Leads are Key: Lourdes is 4-1 this season when taking an advantage into the locker room.  However, when the game has been tied or the Gray Wolves have been behind, Lourdes has yet to win in eight attempts.

Among the Nation's Leaders: Lourdes has limited its opponents to 61.6 points per game this season, a mark that ranks 36th in NAIA Division II.  Lourdes also ranks 33rd nationally as a team averaging 10.43 steals per contest.

Fidler Among the National Leaders Individually: Jesse Fidler ranks seventh in NAIA individually with 42 steals on the season and her 2.93 thefts per night rank 16th in NAIA Division II.  Fidler also ranks 12th in the country in field goal percentage, connecting at a 56.2% clip.  In addition, the sophomore is 31st nationally grabbing 3.36 offensive rebounds per contest.

Captains Named: Lourdes has two sophomore captains on the roster this season.  Serving in the leadership role for 2015-2016 are Jesse Fidler and Niki Meyer.  The duo both had successful freshmen campaigns with the Gray Wolves.

This and That: Molea Thompson handed out two assists at Cincinnati Christian and now has exactly 100 for her career ... Jesse Fidler is 39 points shy of 500 for her career ... Fidler just surpassed the 250-rebound for her career, entering the week with 256 boards ... Lourdes is 3-3 in home games this season.