Complete PDF Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Basketball: Lourdes will play its fifth NAIA top-25 foe of the season on Tuesday as the Gray Wolves welcome 12th-ranked Cornerstone to the Ebeid Rec Center.  The Gray Wolves will then head to Kingsport, Tenn. for the weekend, participating in the NAIA DII Classic "The Show" where Lourdes will battle Union (Ky.) on Saturday and Rio Grande on Sunday.

Head Coach Dennis Hopson: In his first season on the Lourdes bench, Dennis Hopson is 4-3 (.571) with the Gray Wolves and as a men's collegiate head coach.  He is only the third head coach in Lourdes program's history.

Series Notes: Cornerstone holds a 17-1 series advantage against the Gray Wolves dating back to Dec. 10, 2011.  The Golden Eagles have won 15 straight meetings after sweeping last year's contests.  Cornerstone was a 99-72 victor in Grand Rapids, Mich. and a 97-95 winner in overtime inside the Ebeid Rec Center.  Cornerstone is 3-0 all-time in the Ebeid Rec Center and 8-0 all-time in Sylvania.  Lourdes will be meeting both Union (Ky.) and Rio Grande for the first time on the hardwood in men's basketball this weekend.

Wrapping Up Last Week: Lourdes battled back from 17 down against ninth-ranked Madonna but came up just short in a 72-68 setback at home on Wednesday.  Clif Snow led the Gray Wolves with 14 points while Nick Welch added 13 points and eight rebounds.  Lourdes rallied from a six-point halftime deficit on Saturday to win at Aquinas 63-58.  Julian Egbo tallied 18 points while Snow added 15 more.

Scouting Cornerstone: The Golden Eagles have won five consecutive games after downing 23rd-ranked Indiana Tech 63-55 on Saturday.  Tyler Baker leads Cornerstone averaging 15.3 points per game while Christian Rodriguez adds 15.2 points per night.  Kyle Hayes is scoring 10.1 points and pulling down a team-high 6.9 rebounds per outing.

Scouting Union (Ky.): The Bulldogs enter the week having won five straight after defeating Montreat 88-85 on Saturday.  Union hosts Milligan on Tuesday before facing Lourdes.  Ronnie Carson leads the Bulldogs averaging 20.8 points per game while Jakobe Wharton contributes 13.5 points per night.  Richard Brown adds 12.1 points and a team-high 7.0 rebounds per outing.

Scouting Rio Grande: The Red Storm have won three of their last four games after downing Siena Heights 77-63 on Saturday.  Rio Grande faces Reinhardt on Saturday in the NAIA DII Showcase prior to battling Lourdes.  Gunner Short is averaging 16.0 points per game for the Red Storm while Kyle Lamotte adds 13.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per night.

Another Ranked Opponent: Lourdes is playing its fifth NAIA Division II top-25 opponent in seven games on Tuesday when the Gray Wolves welcome 12th-ranked Cornerstone to the Ebeid Rec Center.  Lourdes has the potential to play a sixth on Saturday, as Union (Ky.) was ranked 17th in the preseason poll.  A new poll will be released on Wednesday prior to the game.  

Nearing 1,000: Clif Snow enters this week needing just seven points to reach 1,000 for his career.  The junior guard has averaged 14.8 points per game during his Lourdes career, and enters Tuesday with 993 points in 67 games.  Zach Steinmetz (2013-2016) is the only other Gray Wolf ever to reach the 1,000-point plateau.

Among the NAIA Leaders: Clif Snow and Kenny Coleman both rank among the NAIA Division II's best this season.  Snow ranks 32nd nationally averaging 19.7 points per game while Coleman is 41st handing out 4.1 assists per night.

Team Rankings: Lourdes is also among the top nationally in several different statistical categories as a team.  The Gray Wolves rank 15th in field goal percentage (50.5%), 28th in three-point field goal percentage defense (38.6%), 30th in scoring defense (71.1 ppg), 32nd in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.21), and 33rd in rebound margin (+6.7).

Making Shots: Julian Egbo is shooting 64.0% from the field this season, making 32 of the 50 shots he has taken from the floor.  Egbo is second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.7 points per outing.

A Second Half Team: Despite being outscored 264-248 in the opening 20 minutes of play this season, Lourdes has rallied in the second half.  Over the second 20 minutes, the Gray Wolves have outscored their opposition 305-213 this season.

Team Captains: Lourdes will have four captains for the upcoming season.  Bryce McComb, Clif Snow, and Brett Lauf join newcomer Nick Welch, a transfer from Spring Arbor, in leading the Gray Wolves.

This and That: Lourdes is 1-3 against NAIA Division II top-25 teams this season and 9-51 all-time ... the Gray Wolves have played in at least one in-season tournament every season with the exception of 2015-2016.