Complete Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Basketball: Having opened the season with back-to-back victories, 24th-ranked Lourdes plays its final game prior to Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference action on Saturday as the Gray Wolves host Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.  

Head Coach Dennis Hopson: In his fifth season on the Lourdes bench, Dennis Hopson is 77-34 (.694) 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: Lourdes and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods are meeting on the hardwood for the first time on Saturday.

Wrapping Up Last Week: The Gray Wolves opened their season last Wednesday (Nov. 1) with a 108-80 victory over Wilberforce.  Jackie Harris poured in 39 points while Joey Holifield added 24 more.  Lourdes then defeated Olivet 86-48 on Saturday as part of Homecoming weekend on campus.  Harris led five Gray Wolves in double figures with 27 points while Holifield added 13 more.  Lourdes traveled to NCAA Division I Illinois State on Monday night for an exhibition game, falling to the Redbirds 75-56.  Harris had 19 points while Shaunn Monroe added 13 more.

Scouting Saint Mary-of-the-Woods: The Pomeroys opened their season on Wednesday evening with an 89-84 victory on the road at Cincinnati-Clermont.  Greg Jenkins led Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in scoring with 21 points while Cobie Barnes added 20 points and nine rebounds.  Shon Tupuola chipped in 14 points and DaMeriz Merriweather scored 12 points.  Chaz  Birchfield gave the Pomeroys five double figure scorers with his 10 points.

Facing the River States Conference: While Lourdes is facing Saint Mary-of-the-Woods for the first time, the Gray Wolves are 7-5 all-time against current members of the River States Conference.  Lourdes is 4-0 against Point Park and 2-1 versus Rio Grande while also picking up a win (1-1) against Indiana East.  The Gray Wolves have also faced Brescia (0-1) and Shawnee State (0-2).

Cracking the Top-25: Lourdes enters the week ranked 24th in the latest NAIA top-25 coaches' poll.  This marks the first time the Gray Wolves have been ranked in men's basketball since the NAIA merged from two divisions into one prior to the 2020-2021 season.  The last time Lourdes was ranked was Feb. 19, 2020 when the Gray Wolves check in at 23rd in the NAIA Division II poll.  The highest Lourdes has ever been ranked was 13th during the 2019-2020 season.

Harris Earns WHAC Honors: Jackie Harris was named the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Player of the Week for his efforts during the opening week.  He averaged 33.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in two games while shooting 61.0% from the floor, including 52.2% (12-of-23) from three-point range.  Harris had 39 points and eight boards against Wilberforce and 27 points and six rebounds in the win over Olivet.

Lourdes in Openers: With the win over Wilberforce, Lourdes improved to 10-4 all-time in season openers.  The Gray Wolves have won eight of their last nine season openers and are a perfect 6-0 when opening the season at home.  Lourdes also improved to 13-1 all-time in program history in home openers and are a perfect 8-0 in their first game inside the Ebeid Rec Center since the building opened in 2016.

Damerum Notches First Double-Double: Ethan Damerum recorded his first double-double for the Gray Wolves on Saturday against Olivet.  The junior scored 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field while pulling down 12 rebounds, including six offensive caroms.

Holifield Off to Strong Start: Joey Holifield, who surpassed the 1,000-point plateau late last season, is off to a solid start this year.  He is averaging 18.5 points per game while shooting 53.3% from the field.  He poured in 24 points in the opening victory over Wilberforce.

Making Shots: Lourdes is shooting 55.5% as a team this season from the floor, including 45.9% from three-point range.  Ethan Damerum is connecting at a 76.9% clip while Jackie Harris is shooting 61.0% from the field.  Shaunn Monroe has shot 58.8% from the floor while averaging 11.5 points per game.

Playing Strong Inside: Lourdes is outscoring teams 100-30 in the paint through two games this season while outrebounding opponents 83-65.  The Gray Wolves have averaged 13 offensive boards per contest and turned them into 30 total second chance points.

Lourdes Tabbed WHAC Preseason Favorite: The Gray Wolves were selected to win the WHAC regular season title this season in the preseason poll conducted of the league's head coaches.  Lourdes collected four first place votes and was picked just ahead of Rochester (Mich.) and Indiana Tech in the league balloting.  

This and That: Lourdes is 206-180 all-time in the program's 14th season ... last season was the Gray Wolves fourth NAIA National Championship appearance and second consecutive (along with 2012 and 2013) ... the Gray Wolves have not played an overtime contest since Feb. 5, 2020 against Michigan-Dearborn.