Men’s Basketball faces Wilmington and Ohio Northern this week

The Muskingum men's basketball team will hit the road to face Wilmington on Wednesday, January 31 for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off and will host Ohio Northern in the Anne C. Steele Center on Saturday, February 3 at 2:00 p.m.

Game 1: Muskingum at Wilmington- 7:00 p.m. (Live Stats/Video: wilmingtonquakers.com).

Game 2: Muskingum vs Ohio Northern- 2:00 p.m. (Live Stats/Video/Audio: fightingmuskies.com).

Records: Muskingum 8-11 overall, 6-6 Ohio Athletic Conference, Wilmington 8-10 overall, 4-8 Ohio Athletic Conference, Ohio Northern 13-6 overall, 8-4 Ohio Athletic Conference

Hitting 1K and breaking school record: Sophomore Marcus Dempsey became the 32nd Muskingum men's basketball player to reach 1,000 career points with a 39-point effort against John Carroll. He achieved this milestone in his 46th career game, averaging 22.0 points per game. Marcus also broke the most points scored in a season record in the second half off a layup at the 11:26 marker. The previous record was 559 points set in 1990-1991 by Andy Moore. After Saturday's performance, he has tallied 570 points this season.

Muskingum Notes (Roster | Schedule | Statistics)

• On Saturday, the Muskingum men's basketball team won a thrilling 112-103 victory over the NCAA Division III #23 John Carroll in the loud and electric Anne C. Steele Center. Dempsey exploded with 39 points on 11-of-19 shooting, which included 4-of-8 from the arc. He also recorded his first double-double of the season by snagging 12 rebounds and adding four assists and two steals. Devon Peart scored a career-high 34 points on 9-of-13 shooting, which included going a perfect 2-for-2 from the arc. He also added five rebounds and two steals. Jayson Peoples also notched a career-high 17 points, on 5-of-7 shooting from the arc.  
• The Muskies are tied for fifth in the OAC standings with a 6-6 record.
• Muskingum has now beaten two top-25 ranked schools at home this season. Muskingum defeated then 22nd-ranked Baldwin Wallace, 91-78, on December 9, 2017, and 23rd-ranked John Carroll on Saturday.
• Dempsey is ranked first in the conference and third in Division III in points per game (30.0). He is making 52.1% of his shots from the field (201-of-386) and 44.3% from the arc (62-of-140). Dempsey is also dishing out 2.6 assists per game and grabbing 4.5 rebounds per game.
• Dempsey was named OAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week, his second of the year, for his outstanding play during the week of January 22-28.
• Peart is averaging 12.5 points per game and has registered double-digit scoring in 11 contests this season.
• Muskingum has scored 70 or more points in each game this season.
• Overall, the Muskies are third in scoring offense (85.7 points per game) and free throw percentage (.764), and fifth in steals per game (6.6) in the OAC. In addition, the team is shooting .458 from the field, averaging 32.7 rebounds per game and dishing out 10.3 assists per game.
• Earlier this season, Muskingum fell to both Wilmington, 91-87, and Ohio Northern, 108-87.

Wilmington Notes (Roster | Schedule | Statistics)

• Wilmington lost on the road to Mount Union, 79-73, on Saturday.
• The Quakers are tied for eighth in the league standings with a 4-8 record.
• Three Wilmington players are averaging double-digit scoring: Senior Christian Jones (18.9), senior Nathan Scott (13.9), and junior Will Patrick (11.7).
• Jones is ranked fifth, while Scott is tied for 14^th in points per game in the OAC.
• Junior Andrew Russell grabs a team-high 4.1 rebounds per game.
• Senior D.J. Iles dishes out 3.2 assists per game, which is seventh best in the league.
• The Quakers are first in the OAC in free throw percentage (.785), second in steals per game (9.3), fourth in assists per game (14.4), and fifth in scoring offense (82.3).

Ohio Northern Notes (Roster | Schedule | Statistics)

• Ohio Northern is coming off an 82-60 home win against Capital.
• Ohio Northern is tied for second in conference play with an 8-4 record.
• Three players are averaging double-digit scoring: Junior Ryan Bruns (25.2), senior Nate Burger (24.6), and senior Joey DiOrio (13.0).
• Bruns is first in the league in blocks per game (3.1), second in points per game, field goal percentage (.591), and rebounds per game (8.8). He has notched 30 or more points in six games this season.
• Burger is first in the OAC in assists per game, averaging 5.6, and second in points per game.  
• The Polar Bears are first in the OAC in field goal percentage (.490), blocks per game (4.8), second in scoring offense (86.2), assists per game (17.3), and rebounds per game (39.8), third in three-point percentage (.387), and fourth in free throw percentage (.755).