Tiffin men's basketball looks to right the ship this week against two more tough GMAC opponents when they travel to Cedarville on Thursday and Lake Erie on Saturday.
Game Information:
Tiffin Dragons (7-10, 1-6 GMAC) at
Cedarville Yellow Jackets (8-8, 4-3 GMAC)
Thursday, Jan. 16 | 7:30 p.m.
Cedarville, Ohio | Callan Athletic Center
Video | Live Stats
Tiffin Dragons (7-10, 1-6 GMAC) at
Lake Erie Storm (10-7, 4-3 GMAC)
Saturday, Jan. 18 | 1:00 p.m.
Painesville, Ohio | Osborne Center
Video | Live Stats
Dragon Details:
Tiffin is coming off a pair of home losses to Hillsdale and Findlay last weekend but earned a win in their first game of 2020 when they defeated Ohio Valley by ten on the road the week prior.
The Dragons continue to rank near the top in scoring, coming in second in the conference with 82.6 points per game. TU is also second with 11.2 offensive rebounds per game, first with a +3.53 turnover margin, tied for second with 8.12 steals per game, and third with 3.24 blocks per game.
Jairus Stevens leads Tiffin and ranks fourth in the GMAC at 17.4 points per game, while teammate Joshua Williams is also in the top ten with 16.9 points per game (tied for sixth). Stevens is also seventh in the conference with 7.3 rebounds per game, while Williams is second with 1.9 steals per game.
Scouting the Yellow Jackets:
Cedarville comes into the weekend having lost four of their last six contests, including defeats at Findlay and at Walsh last week. The Yellow Jackets are right up there with Tiffin in scoring, ranking third in the GMAC at 80.9 points per game. They are also second with a 36.8% three-point rate and are first in the conference and second in the country with a free throw percentage of 81.9%.
The Yellow Jackets have five players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Branden Maughmer at 15.1 points per game. Quinton Green is next at 14.7 points per game, followed by Conner TenHove at 13.3 points per game. TenHove is also sixth in the GMAC with 7.5 rebounds per game and second with a 90.9% free throw rate.
The last matchup between the Dragons and Yellow Jackets was on Feb. 16 of last season, with Cedarville taking a hard-fought 86-80 victory. Maughmer led all scorers with 25 points for CU, while Josh Williams is Tiffin's top returner from the contest with 14 points.
Scouting the Storm:
Lake Erie also struggled against Findlay and Hillsdale but turned things around last weekend with a seven-point win over Malone. The Storm play tight defense, holding opponents to 40.8% from the field (second in GMAC) and 32.8% from deep (third), while also tying for second with 8.12 steals per game.
Lake Erie's Gabe Kynard holds the title of the leading scorer in the conference, averaging 20.4 points per game entering the week. He also leads the team in rebounding from the guard position, tied for tenth at 6.4 boards per game, and is fourth with 1.5 steals per game. Kevin Peterson is the only other Storm player averaging double-figure scoring with 10.8 points per game.
The Storm and the Dragons last met on Feb. 23 a season ago in Tiffin, as Lake Erie pulled away late in the second half for an 87-76 victory. Kynard totaled 17 points to help lead the Storm to the win, while Josh Williams led TU with 16 points off the bench.