Complete PDF Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Basketball: The 2015-2016 regular season comes to a close this week as Lourdes battles for the final spot in the upcoming WHAC tournament.  The Gray Wolves head to Northwestern Ohio on Wednesday evening to battle the eighth place Racers.  Lourdes then hosts Siena Heights, a team the Gray Wolves are tied with in the standings, on Saturday for Senior Night at Owens Community College.  

Head Coach Andre Smith: In his sixth season both on the Lourdes bench and overall as a men's collegiate head coach, Andre Smith has a 94-90 (.511) 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.

On the Air: Saturday's game against Siena Heights will be broadcast by BCSN on Buckeye Cablesystem.  The game will air on Sunday morning at 1:30 a.m. as well at 1:30 p.m.  In addition, BCSN2 will show the game on Sunday at 8 a.m. and Monday at 3 a.m.

Series Notes: Lourdes holds a 7-5 all-time advantage against Northwestern Ohio in a series that dates back to Dec. 30, 2010.  The Gray Wolves won the first meeting this season, 62-50, at Tam-o-Shanter on Jan. 6.  The series is tied 3-3 in games played in Lima, Ohio.  Lourdes is 8-3 all-time against Siena Heights in a series that dates back to Nov. 12, 2011.  The Saints won the first meeting this year 66-64 in Adrian, Mich. on Jan. 9.  Lourdes leads the series 4-0 in games they have hosted, but this is the first time they will have met at Owens CC.

Earlier This Season: Lourdes jumped out to an eight-point lead on Jan. 6 and the Gray Wolves defeated Northwestern Ohio 62-50 at Tam-o-Shanter.  E.J. Blackwell led Lourdes with 24 points while Zach Steinmetz added 18.  Jorge Concepcion III led the Racers with 18 points as the only player to finish with double figures.  On Jan. 9, Lourdes never led Siena Heights, and trailed by as many as 13 in the second half before falling just short in its comeback bid 66-64 in Adrian, Mich.  Steinmetz scored a game-high 27 points for the Gray Wolves while George Goodman tallied 19 points and Alec Myers added 15 for the Saints.

Wrapping Up Last Week: Lourdes rallied from a 13-point first half deficit on Wednesday, and defeated Marygrove 85-81 on the road.  E.J. Blackwell came off of the bench to score 27 points while Zach Steinmetz and Darrionate Stewart each added 17 points for the Gray Wolves.  On Saturday afternoon at Madonna, Lourdes never led after the game's first three minutes and despite hanging close most of the way fell 73-65 to the Crusaders.  Julian Johnson scored a game-high 17 points for Lourdes while Steinmetz added 12 more.

Scouting Northwestern Ohio: The Racers snapped a four-game losing skid on Saturday evening with a 63-56 victory at Siena Heights.  Lawrence Jackson leads Northwestern Ohio averaging 20.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while Josh Scott adds 11.5 points per night.  The Racers rank 14th nationally allowing just 68.8 points per game.

Scouting Siena Heights: The Saints enter the week having dropped six straight games following a 63-56 setback at home against Northwestern Ohio on Saturday.  Siena Heights heads to Madonna on Wednesday before facing Lourdes.  George Goodman leads the Saints in scoring, averaging 15.6 points per game.  Jerrell Martin adds 9.3 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game.  

Wednesday a Must Win: The Gray Wolves must win Wednesday's contest at Northwestern Ohio to have any chance of making the WHAC tournament.  A win would give the Gray Wolves a season sweep of the Racers, and the tiebreaker should the two schools finish tied.  Siena Heights, Lourdes foe on Saturday is also in the mix, entering play Wednesday tied with the Gray Wolves.  The Saints head to Madonna on Wednesday while Northwestern Ohio hosts Lawrence Tech on Saturday.

Thanks Seniors: Lourdes will honor its three seniors prior to the start of Saturday night's game against Siena Heights.  Zach Steinmetz has been with the program for three seasons and amassed 1,352 career points and 813 rebounds.  E.J. Blackwell has tallied 882 points in two seasons while Julian Johnson has scored 388 points and handed out 166 assists in his two years at Lourdes.

Home Away from Home: With Tam-o-Shanter unavailable this weekend, Lourdes will play a home game at Owens Community College for the fourth time in program history.  The Gray Wolves are 1-2, having defeated Aquinas 59-57 in 2014 while falling to Cornerstone in 2013 and Mount Vernon Nazarene in 2010.

Limiting Scoring Yet Again: The Gray Wolves enter the week ranked eighth in NAIA Division II allowing 66.7 points per game this season after finishing in the top-five nationally in scoring defense each of the last four seasons.

More National Rankings: Lourdes has improved to 73.2% from the free throw line this season, and now ranks 24th in all of NAIA Division II.  The Gray Wolves are holding teams to 42.9% shooting from the floor, a mark that is 42nd nationally while ranking 49th in rebounding margin at 2.63.

Individually Among the National Leaders: Zach Steinmetz ranks 33rd in the country averaging 8.3 rebounds per contest.  E.J. Blackwell is 38th in the country shooting 81.3% from the free throw line while Julian Johnson ranks 42nd in the country handing out 4.12 assists per night and is 47th in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.38.

This and That: Darrionate Stewart scored a career-high 17 points in the win over Marygrove ... E.J. Blackwell, Julian Johnson, and Zach Steinmetz all had double-doubles last week ... Lourdes downed Marygrove for its first win of the year when surrendering more than 70 points in a game.