Complete Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Basketball: Lourdes looks to bounce back from two straight setbacks this week, closing out a three-game road trip.  The seventh-ranked Gray Wolves head to Lawrence Tech on Wednesday evening before traveling to Indiana Tech for a Saturday afternoon affair.

Head Coach Dennis Hopson: In his fifth season on the Lourdes bench, Dennis Hopson is 94-37 (.718) 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 leads the all-time series against Lawrence Tech 15-8 dating back to Nov. 3, 2012.  The Blue Devils snapped the Gray Wolves' three-game winning streak in the series with a 71-68 overtime victory inside the Ebeid Rec Center back on Jan. 3 in the season's first meeting.  Lawrence Tech holds a 6-4 series edge in games played in Southfield, Mich.  Indiana Tech is 16-13 all-time against Lourdes in a series that dates back to Oct. 30, 2010.  Lourdes won the first meeting this year between the two schools on Jan. 17, 64-61, inside the Ebeid Rec Center.  The Warriors hold a 9-6 series edge in games played in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Wrapping Up Last Week: Cornerstone built a 21-point halftime lead last Wednesday (Feb. 7) on the way to an 89-75 victory over the Gray Wolves.  Shaunn Monroe led Lourdes with 22 points while Joey Holifield added 19 and Ethan Damerum had 16 points.  Jakiel Wells came off the bench with 11 more.  On Saturday, the Gray Wolves never led at Madonna, falling to the Crusaders 72-65.  Holifield led Lourdes with 21 points while Monroe chipped in 14 more.  Wells had 11 points for the Gray Wolves.

Scouting Lawrence Tech: The Blue Devils are riding a three-game winning streak after defeating Northwestern Ohio 98-83 on the road Saturday afternoon.  Brandon Beavers leads Lawrence Tech averaging 20.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this season.  Cameron McEvans adds 12.3 points per night off the bench while Nathaniel Ward is also scoring 12.3 points per game.  Aaron Dolny gives Lawrence Tech four double figure scorers, tallying 11.0 points per night.

Scouting Indiana Tech: The Warriors enter the week having dropped back-to-back games following a 77-73 setback at Rochester (Mich.) on Saturday.  Indiana Tech hosts Michigan-Dearborn on Wednesday before entertaining the Gray Wolves.  Brady Titus leads Indiana Tech averaging 12.5 points per game while Lucas Lyyski adds 11.2 points per night.  Max Perez is scoring 10.7 points per contest while Javel Lewis is tallying 10.0 points and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds per game.

Highest Ranking Ever: Lourdes enters the week ranked seventh in the latest NAIA top-25 coaches' poll.  This marks the first season 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 ranking of No. 7 is the highest for the Gray Wolves in program history, surpassing the ranking on Feb. 5, 2020, when Lourdes was ranked 13th.  The next poll will be released Feb. 14.

Looking for Win #20: Lourdes next victory will be its 20th of the season, marking the fourth time in Coach Dennis Hopson's career with the Gray Wolves that the program will reach the 20-win plateau.  The only season that Lourdes did not post 20 wins in Hopson's tenure came in 2020-2021 when the tam only played 15 total games due to COVID-19.  The next win will mark the fifth 20-win season in program history as well.

Looking for a Home Tournament Game: With one victory this week, Lourdes would assure itself a home quarterfinal game in the upcoming Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament.  With four games remaining in the regular season, the lowest the Gray Wolves can finish is sixth in the final standings.

Taking Advantage at the Charity Stripe: Joey Holifield went to the free throw line 25 times in the two games last week for the Gray Wolves, making 23 (92%).  On the season, Holifield is shooting at an 88.1% clip, having missed just 15 of 126 free throw attempts.  Holifield ranks 21st in all of NAIA in free throw percentage.

Protecting the Basketball: Lourdes is averaging just 11.9 turnovers per game this season while forcing 15.7 miscues per night from its opponents.  In two games last week, Lourdes combined for just 14 total turnovers.

Holifield Moves Into Second on All-Time Scoring List: Joey Holifield moved past Zach Steinmetz (2013-2016) into second play on the Gray Wolves' all-time scoring list last week and enters this week with 1,405 career points.  He trails just Clif Snow (2017-21, 22-23), who scored 1,789 points at Lourdes, on the all-time list.  Jackie Harris became the fifth member of the 1,000-point club earlier this season, entering this week with 1,137 career points, trailing Little Anderson's (2019-23) 1,286 points for fourth all-time.

Harris and Holifield on Bevo Francis Award Watch List: Jackie Harris and Joey Holifield were both among the 100 players in NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, NCCAA, and USCAA to be named to the Bevo Francis Award Watch List.  The award honors the best small college player in the country.  Lourdes is one of just 10 schools in the country to have two players on the list, and one of only five NAIA schools to accomplish the feat.

This and That: Lourdes is outscoring opponents by 151 points in the first half this season ... the Gray Wolves have not dropped three straight games since the end of the 2019-2020 season into the beginning of 2020-2021 ... Jackie Harris (18.7 ppg), Shaun Monroe (17.4 ppg), and Joey Holifield (16.9 ppg) combine for nearly 64% of the team's offense.