Men's Basketball 2/10/2021 4:00:00 PM

OUAZ Returns from Hiatus to Face No. 5 Arizona Christian

#5 ARIZONA CHRISTIAN FIRESTORM (18-2, 4-0 GSAC) vs. OUAZ SPIRIT (8-2, 3-1 GSAC)
Game Details	Thursday, February 11 • 7 p.m. (Arizona) • Surprise, Ariz. • Faith Arena Saturday, February 13 • 2 p.m. (Arizona) • Glendale, Ariz. • ACU Events Center
Video Stream	ouazspirit.com/digital
OTT App	NAIA Network (Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku)
Live Stats	ouazspirit.com/sidearmstats/mbball
Game Notes	OUAZ (PDF)

SPIRIT NOTES
• With its season now interrupted three times, the OUAZ men's basketball team returns to action this week with a pair of games against No. 5 Arizona Christian. The Arizona rivals will play in Faith Arena on Thursday at 7 p.m. and again on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the ACU Events Center in Glendale.

• Due to the ordinance by the City of Surprise limiting public gatherings to less than 50 people, fans will not be allowed to attend Thursday's game at Faith Arena.

• Each of the weekend games will be broadcast live on the OUAZ Digital Network. Fans can view the game online at OUAZSpirit.com/network or on the NAIA Network app on Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku devices.

• Live stats will also be available during the games with a link will be available on the men's basketball schedule on the OUAZ website or at OUAZSpirit.com/live.

• The Spirit enters this week's action with an 8-2 overall record and having won five of the past six games they have played. They are 4-2 at home and 2-0 in road games and 4-0 in all games played away from home.

• OUAZ is 3-1 in GSAC play and alone in third place in the East Division of the GSAC standings. They trail Arizona Christian and William Jessup by one game with six games to play in the regular season.

• The "Play Fast" offense of the Spirit has been in full effect this season. They have scored at least 80 points in a game six times and they have gone for 90-plus four times. OUAZ is currently 49th in the NAIA in scoring average at 82.10 points per game.

• That high scoring attack has been anchored by the efficient shooting of the team. The Spirit are shooting 49.2 percent from the field this season to rank 20th in the country. They have been at 50 percent or better six times.

• The 58.3 percent shooting in the season opener against Park Gilbert is the second-best shooting night in program history. That was followed by 57.6 percent against Randall, including 71.9 percent in the second half.

• OUAZ has added the long ball into its repertoire this season, setting the program record with four straight games with at least 10 made threes to start the season. The team is 46th nationally by making 9.840 triples per game and they rank 48th in shooting 36.9 percent from beyond the arc.

• Kam Malbrough has scored a team-best 179 points and is averaging 17.9 points per game on the year. He had a 25-point outing against SAGU on December 10 during which he set the program record with 14 made free throws.

• Malbrough has scored in double figures in every game this season with three games of at least 20 points while averaging 4.3 assists per game.

• Kolten Hitt has scored in double figures six times and is second on the team with 127 points at 12.7 points per game. Hitt ranks fourth in the NAIA by shooting 54.8 percent from beyond the arc. He is averaging 1.7 made threes per game.

• Josiah De'laCerda is averaging 18.5 points per game in the four games he has played this season. While shooting 65.2 percent from the floor, he also averages 7.0 rebounds per outing.

• Quentin Guliford has come on strong since joining the lineup in January. In his six games played, Guliford is scoring 11.8 points per game and shooting 53.5 percent from the field.

• Guliford posted a double-double of 25 points and 13 rebounds against Benedictine Mesa on January 13.

• Devin Collins has added another scoring option for the Spirit over the team's last four games by scoring 12.3 points per game. He also grabs 11.8 rebounds per game and had 18 boards against The Master's on January 23.

• According to the poll of the league's coaches released on October 17, OUAZ was projected to finish eighth in the league this season. The team received 26 points from the coaches

• The 2021 conference schedule will feature two separate pods. There will be no crossover games scheduled by the conference. Representing Pod A will be Hope International, Vanguard, and Westmont. Pod B will feature Arizona Christian, Life Pacific, OUAZ, San Diego Christian, The Master's, and William Jessup. Menlo has decided to opt-out of men's basketball competition this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• There will be no GSAC Basketball Tournament conducted in 2021. The conference's two automatic berths will be represented by the two pod champions. Should a tie occur in either pod, the two tied teams will play a championship game on February 27.

• The 2020-21 NAIA basketball season marks a return to one division for the first time since the end of 1990-91. That also changes the NAIA National Championship from a 32-team field to a 64-team field, although the 2021 tournament will feature 48 teams.

• With the change, 16 schools will host a three-team Opening Round bracket with those winners advancing to the final site at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

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Players Mentioned

#35 Josiah De'laCerda: F; 6' 8"; Junior

#23 Quentin Guliford: F; 6' 5"; Junior

#14 Kolten Hitt: G; 6' 3"; Junior

#2 Kam Malbrough: G; 5' 9"; Junior

#3 Devin Collins: F; 6' 5"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#35 Josiah De'laCerda
: 6' 8"; Junior
: F

#23 Quentin Guliford
: 6' 5"; Junior
: F

#14 Kolten Hitt
: 6' 3"; Junior
: G

#2 Kam Malbrough
: 5' 9"; Junior
: G

#3 Devin Collins
: 6' 5"; Junior
: F