Complete Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Basketball: After upsetting 24th-ranked Mount Vernon Nazarene last week, Lourdes returns to the road, and Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference play, on Saturday afternoon as the Gray Wolves visit Michigan-Dearborn in a game that will be played on the campus of Madonna University.

Head Coach Tandy Bradford: In her first season on the Lourdes bench, Tandy Bradford sports an 6-10 (.375) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves.  In her fourth season overall as a collegiate head coach, Bradford has a 27-69 (.281) career mark.  She is the fifth head coach in Lourdes program's history.

Series Notes: Michigan-Dearborn leads the all-time series against Lourdes 11-7 dating back to Jan. 14, 2012.  The Wolverines have won the last five contests between the two schools, but this will be the first meeting since Feb. 5, 2020 when Michigan-Dearborn defeated the Gray Wolves 62-53 inside the Ebeid Rec Center.  This will be the first meeting on a neutral court.

Wrapping Up Last Week: Lourdes fell behind by 18 after one quarter and could not recover on Thursday (Dec. 30), falling at Rochester (Mich.) 86-68.  Mercedes Wagner led Lourdes with 16 points while Gabby Stover registered a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.  Last Saturday (Jan. 1), Lourdes led nearly the entire way and upset 24th-ranked Mount Vernon Nazarene 67-61 on the road.  Wagner tallied 20 points while Stover and Shae Pedroza each added 15 more for the Gray Wolves.

Scouting Michigan-Dearborn: The Wolverines have been idle since Dec. 18 when they defeated Penn State-Schuylkill 72-55 on the road.  Ro'Zhane Wells leads Michigan-Dearborn in scoring, averaging 9.1 points per game this season, while Mariah Taylor has added 8.9 points per contest.  Cydney Williams has led the Wolverines on the glass, pulling down 6.9 rebounds per game.

Schedule Update: The Jan. 5 game against Siena Heights was postponed due to COVID-19.  It has been rescheduled for Jan. 17 at 5:30 p.m. inside the Ebeid Rec Center.

Wagner Earns WHAC Honor: Mercedes Wagner garnered the first Lourdes women's basketball Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Player of the Week accolade since 2018 after averaging 18.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for the Gray Wolves last week.  She began the week with a 16-point, six-rebound effort against Rochester (Mich.) on 8-of-11 shooting.  Wagner followed that performance up with 20 points and nine rebounds in the upset victory at Mount Vernon Nazarene.

A Historic Victory: Lourdes snapped a 50-game losing skid against NAIA top-25 opponents last Saturday with its victory at 24th-ranked Mount Vernon Nazarene.  The win was just the second all-time against ranked foes, improving to 2-51 all-time.  Lourdes only other victory against a ranked team came on Nov. 5, 2011 at 18th-ranked Indiana-Northwest.

Stover Notches Another Double-Double: Gabby Stover registered her third double-double of the season at Rochester (Mich.) with her 12-point, 10 rebound performance.  The sophomore also registered double-doubles against Georgetown (Ky.) in the season opener and at Taylor.  Stover shares the team lead in double-doubles with Mercedes Wagner, who also has three.  Alex Wolfe has the only other double-double-for Lourdes this year.

From Long Range: Shae Pedroza leads Lourdes with 27 three-point field goals this season.  The sophomore guard is shooting a team-high 42.9% from beyond the arc, helping her average 11.8 points per game this season.  

Guarding the Perimeter: Lourdes has limited its opposition to just 27.5% shooting from three-point range this season.  Last Saturday, Mount Vernon Nazarene made just 2-of-21 (9.5%) attempts from long range.

Getting Defensive: In addition to leading Lourdes in scoring (12.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.6 rpg), Mercedes Wagner has been a presence on the defensive end of the floor.  Wagner leads the team with 33 steals (2.0 spg) while also leading the way with 12 blocked shots.

Record-Setting Effort: Lourdes shattered its school record by scoring 132 points in the victory over Miami-Middletown on Nov. 6.  The previous mark was 107 points scored at Northwestern Ohio on Feb. 14, 2018.  The 58-point margin of victory, 132-74, also broke the previous mark of 54 set on Nov. 6, 2018 against Wright State-Lake, 101-47, and matched last season at Akron Wayne in an 81-27 victory.  

Lourdes Tabbed 10th in WHAC Preseason Poll: The Gray Wolves were selected to finish in 10th place in the WHAC this season in the preseason poll conducted of the league's head coaches.  Lourdes was picked just behind Northwestern Ohio and just ahead of Madonna in the balloting.  Indiana Tech was picked as the preseason favorite.

This and That: Lourdes and its opponents have both committed exactly 320 turnovers this season (20.0 per game) ... not one Gray Wolf has started all 16 games, with 14 being the most starts by any player ... Shallyn Miley, Mercedes Wagner, and Winter Richburg are the only Gray Wolves to appear in all 16 games ... after the road trip to Michigan-Dearborn, Lourdes will play eight of its next nine games at home, including the next five.