CWRU Men’s Basketball to Host No. 13 WashU, Chicago for First Double UAA Weekend

More news about: Case Western Reserve
Jan 15, 2020

Men's Basketball to Host No. 13 WashU, Chicago for First Double UAA Weekend

 The Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team will host a pair of University Athletic Association foes this weekend at Horsburgh Gymnasium. First, the Spartans will take on the 13th-ranked Washington University in St. Louis on Friday, January 17 at 8 p.m. Then, on Sunday, January 19 at noon, the team will face the University of Chicago.

LIVE COVERAGE
 vs. Washington (Friday, January 17 · 8 PM)
 Live Stats: https://athletics.case.edu/sports/mbkb/2019-20/boxscores/20200117_mkqs.xml
Video: https://case.edu/livestream/athletics/

vs. Chicago (Sunday, January 19 · 12 PM)
 Live Stats: https://athletics.case.edu/sports/mbkb/2019-20/boxscores/20200119_yj5c.xml
Video: https://case.edu/livestream/athletics/


CWRU SPARTANS
 The Spartans won their UAA opener on Saturday evening to move to 1-0 in conference play, defeating Carnegie Mellon 88-81 at home. CWRU pulled ahead in the first few minutes of the game and led by as many as 13 points over the Tartans. In his first career start, first-year forward Cole Frilling tied a career-high with 27 points, leading all scorers.

Overall, Case Western Reserve is 8-4 and 5-0 at Horsburgh Gymnasium. The Spartans average 75.7 points per game and shoot 42.7% from the field, including 37.9% from three-point range. The team allows 71.8 points per game on 42.5% shooting and 36.2% from three-point range. Frilling leads the team with 12.4 points per game and contributes 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game on defense. Junior guard Antonio Ionadi, who has the highest three-point shooting percentage on the team (45.7%), is second in points per game with 11.9, while senior forward Michael Hollis leads the squad with 9.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

Coaching the Spartans is fourth-year Head Coach Todd McGuinness, who has compiled a 37-50 record at CWRU. Previously, McGuinness coached for seven years at Hartwick College and owns a 151-120 career record as a head coach. He is assisted by Mike Fitzpatrick, Greg Van Pelt, and T.J. Duckett.


#13 WASHINGTON BEARS
 Despite trailing by 11 at halftime, the Bears roared back and defeated Chicago 66-65 at home to open conference play with a 1-0 record. Overall, Washington is 10-2 on the season, including a 4-2 road record. The team has won eight of its last nine games. The Bears average 77.5 points per game while allowing 67.9 points per game. Washington shoots 46.9% from the field, including 37.1% from three-point range, while opponents shoot 44.3% overall and 33.3% from beyond the arc against them. Junior guard Jack Nolan leads the team with 19.3 points per game, making 49.4% of his shots and 46.2% from long range. Nolan makes the sixth-most three-pointers per game in Division III, averaging 4.0 makes per game. Sophomore forward Justin Hardy is second on the team with 15.6 points per game and leads the Bears with 7.6 rebounds per game.

Pat Juckem is in his second season as the coach at WashU, after leading UW-Oshkosh to the Division III National Championship game in 2017-18. As a head coach, he has earned three NCAA tournament appearances and compiled an overall record of 226-163, including a 27-10 record at WashU. Juckem's assistants are Kevin Dux, Jason Jabbari, and Steve Wilcutt.

The Spartans and Bears have faced off 54 times since the 1982-83 season, with the Spartans' most recent victory in the 2014-15 season. Last season, WashU won 88-55 in Missouri and 66-63 in Cleveland. The Spartans nearly pulled off the upset at home, missing two three-pointers that would have sent the contest into overtime in the game's final seconds. Across the two contests, Hollis averaged 6.0 points and 8.0 rebounds. CWRU is 5-49 all-time against Washington.

WashU has been ranked in every edition of the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, achieving its highest rank of seventh in the preseason poll.



CHICAGO MAROONS
 The Maroons nearly upset the Bears in their UAA opener but fell to 0-1 in conference play with the road loss. Overall, Chicago is 5-7 this season, including a 3-2 mark away from home. The team averages 78.6 points per game on 46.8% shooting, including 33.0% from three-point range. Opponents score 74.8 points per game against the Maroons on 45.8% shooting and 37.6% from three-point range. Senior guard Cole Schmitz leads the team with 16.0 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game. Second in both categories for the Maroons is junior forward Dominic Laravie, averaging 13.3 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game.

Mike McGrath is in his 21st season as the head coach of Chicago's men's basketball squad. He is the school's all-time wins leader, earning his 300th victory with the Maroons earlier this year, and has a career record of 303-216. Under his leadership, Chicago has appeared in the NCAA tournament four times, reaching the Sweet 16 twice, and won four UAA titles, most recently after the 2007-08 season. Bryan Joel, John Cheng, Mike Mailhot, and Brad Nadborne are the assistant coaches on McGrath's staff.

The Maroons hold a 40-12 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to the 1987-88 season. However, CWRU has won two of the last four matchups. Last season the two teams split the season series, with each team winning on the other's court. The Spartans won 85-80 in Chicago, while the Maroons won 81-72 in Cleveland. A balanced attack led Case Western Reserve to victory in the first meeting between the two teams when four Spartans scored in double figures, led by 16 points from junior guard Ignas Masiulionis. Across the two contests, Masiulionis averaged 17.0 points per game and made 50% of his shots. Sophomore forward Ryan Newton averaged 13.0 points per game against Chicago, and Hollis collected a combined 29 rebounds in the two contests.

SPARTAN NOTES

  • The UAA named Cole Frilling its Athlete of the Week for men's basketball on Monday, following his performance against Carnegie Mellon, which included 27 points, seven rebounds, four blocks, an assist and a steal. It was the first Athlete of the Week award for a CWRU men's basketball player this season.
  • Against Carnegie Mellon, sophomore guard Robert Faller set career highs in points (17), assists (6), field goals made (7) and three-pointers made (3).
  • Both Antonio Ionadi and Cole Frilling have scored in double figures in four of the last five contests, with Frilling reaching 27 points on two occasions. The duo has accounted for all five of the Spartans' 20-point games.
  • Four times this season, including against Carnegie Mellon, Antonio Ionadi has made six three-pointers, one shy of tying the program record.
  • Michael Hollis is now eighth in program history with 555 career rebounds. He has the opportunity to become just the seventh ever Spartan to collect more than 600 career rebounds. Hollis' 9.3 rebounds per game this season are tied for the lead among UAA players.