Upcoming in Gray Wolves Basketball: Coming off its first conference tournament appearance in program history, Lourdes looks to build upon its success as the Gray Wolves tip off the 2020-2021 season on Tuesday evening hosting Carlow. The 10th season for women's basketball at Lourdes then continues on Saturday with a trip to Shawnee State.

Head Coach John Kenger: In his third season on the Lourdes bench, John Kenger sports an 22-38 (.367) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves.  In his sixth season overall as a women's collegiate head coach, Kenger has a 61-92 (.399) career mark.  He is the fourth head coach in Lourdes program's history.

Series Notes: Lourdes and Carlow have split two previous meetings in a series that began Nov. 6, 2015 when the Celtics posted a 53-47 victory in Pittsburgh, Pa.  The Gray Wolves won the last meeting between the two schools inside the Ebeid Rec Center on Dec. 20, 2016, an 80-65 triumph.  Shawnee State defeated Lourdes in the only previous meeting between the two sides on Oct. 25, 2019, a 105-46 victory in Portsmouth, Ohio.

Wrapping Up Last Season: The Gray Wolves finished the 2019-2020 season 11-20 overall and 7-13 in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference.  Lourdes tied a school record for victories, while finishing in eighth place in the WHAC standings.  Lourdes fell to Indiana Tech 74-41 in the WHAC tournament quarterfinals, the Gray Wolves' first appearance on the postseason stage.

Scouting Carlow: The Celtics posted a 9-20 record overall and a 4-12 mark in the River States Conference last season.  Carlow returns 10 players from last year's squad but looks to replace its top three scorers from one season ago.  Megan Ost is the team's top returning scorer and rebounder after averaging 9.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season.  Angelica Orozco added 6.6 points per night.  The Celtics were picked to finish 12th in this year's RSC preseason poll.

Scouting Shawnee State: The Bears went 29-4 overall and 13-3 in the Mid-South Conference in 2019-2020.  Shawnee State qualified for the NAIA Division I National Championships which were cancelled due to COVID-19.  The Bears return 10 players from last year's squad, led by Brandie Snow who tallied 15.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game one season ago, ranking second on the squad.  Anyia Pride added 11.1 points per night for Shawnee State which enters the season ranked eighth in NAIA.

Lourdes in Season Openers: The Gray Wolves are 5-4 all-time in season openers after falling to Shawnee State on the road 105-46 to open the 2019-2020 season.  The Gray Wolves last won a season opener in the 2018-2019 campaign, an 87-64 triumph over Grace Christian on the road.

Gray Wolves in Home Openers: Lourdes is 6-3 all-time in its first home game of the season.  The Gray Wolves downed Olivet 40-38 to begin last year's home campaign and has won three straight home openers overall.  The last time Lourdes opened a season at home was in 2017-2018 with a 79-63 win over Great Lakes Christian.

Leaders Returning: Lourdes returns its top two scorers from last season.  Mary Liedel averaged a team-leading 8.8 points per game while Sara Semler added 8.5 points per night.  Liedel also led the team in rebounding at 6.8 per game while Semler had a team-high 3.0 assists per contest.

Lourdes Tabbed 8th in WHAC Preseason Poll: The Gray Wolves were selected to finish in seventh place in the WHAC this season in the preseason poll conducted of the league's head coaches.  Lourdes was picked just behind Rochester (Mich.) and just ahead of Northwestern Ohio in the balloting.  Indiana Tech was picked as the preseason favorite.

A Different Look This Season: Due to COVID-19, Michigan-Dearborn has opted to not play basketball this winter.  In addition, Aquinas will not start their season until January.  The WHAC has scheduled just four dates for league play in December with the remainder taking place beginning Jan. 6.

More Changes in NAIA: This year the NAIA has combined Division I and Division II into just one division for basketball.  A total of 64 schools will qualify for the NAIA National Championships with 16 teams hosting four-team regionals.  The final 16 teams will then advance to Sioux City, Iowa.

Lots of New Faces: The Gray Wolves have eight players that have joined the roster this season, including six freshmen and two transfers.  In addition, Kaylesha Broyles, Kailani Broyles, Nadeen Jemaa and Megan Harvey all sat out last season as redshirts and are set to make their first Lourdes appearance this year.

This and That: Lourdes is 75-191 all-time entering the program's 10th season ... the Gray Wolves are 20-37 all-time inside the Ebeid Rec Center and 35-104 in true road games ... Lourdes is 4-2 all-time in overtime contests ... the Gray Wolves finished last season winning two of their last three games.