Men's Basketball 11/16/2022 3:21:00 PM

2022-23 Men's Basketball Notes -- Week 3

THE WEEK AHEAD
Conference play begins this week for the OUAZ men's basketball team as they travel to California for a pair of games. OUAZ will start the trip on Thursday in Santa Clarita against The Master's. They will then head to Santa Barbara to play Westmont on Saturday.

Both games will be streamed live and have live stats available, with links for both options listed at OUAZSpirit.com/live.

OPENING TIP
The Spirit heads west with a 3-1 record and winners of two straight. They haven't played a road game this season after finishing 8-6 in road games last season. OUAZ is 7-3 in the past 10 games played, dating back to last season.

OUAZ averages 80.3 points per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from beyond the arc. They score 43.0 points per game in the paint while posting 12.5 assists per contest. OUAZ leads the GSAC by making 16.0 free throws per game while converting 66.0 percent from the foul line.

At the defensive end, OUAZ is giving up 77.5 points per game, with the opposition shooting 41.5 percent overall and 38.1 percent from three. In forcing 15.0 turnovers per outing, the Spirit gets 7.3 steals per game. They rank second in the GSAC by blocking 4.5 shots per game.

On the boards, the Spirit is third in the conference in controlling 39.8 rebounds per game, with 9.0 coming at the offensive end.

CONFERENCE HISTORY
OUAZ was picked to finish fourth in the GSAC this season by the coaches. The team was awarded 70 points in the poll to end one point behind Hope International.

The Spirit finished fourth in the league last season with an 11-7 record in conference play. They closed the year by winning six of the final seven conference games and then winning three straight in the GSAC Tournament.

NATIONAL POLL
OUAZ moved closer to its first-ever appearance in the NAIA Coaches' Poll with 51 points in the poll released on Wednesday. That has the Spirit fourth among the teams outside the poll but receiving votes.

PLAY FAST
It is no secret that the Spirit likes to push the tempo, which has led to a pair of games this season where they scored at least 80 points. In the program's history, the Spirit has a 41-20 record when scoring at least 80 points in a game while winning 14 straight.

Through four games, OUAZ has an offensive rating of 100.6 while having an in-game rating over 100 in two games.

BACK-AND-FORTH THEY GO
The season's first four games have seen the teams trading the lead throughout. Heading to California, the OUAZ games are averaging five ties and eight lead changes,

OUAZ rallied from a 10-point deficit to defeat Oklahoma City in the season opener, and they also trailed in each of the other two wins.

SPIRIT LEADERS
Keshawn Bruner has three 20-point scoring games, and he is sixth in the GSAC and 42nd in the NAIA by averaging 21.3 points per game. Bruner shoots 61.7 percent from the field and 82.1 percent at the foul line. Bruner also grabs 5.8 rebounds per contest.

Josiah De'laCerda is averaging 18.5 points per game to rank eighth in the GSAC. He is now 138 points away from becoming the second player in program history to score 1,000 career points. De'laCerda is sixth in the NAIA, getting 9.5 defensive rebounds per game, and 20th nationally at 10.3 total boards per contest.

Kolten Hitt has been in double figures in all four games to currently average 15.3 points per game. His 2.3 steals per game is good for sixth in the GSAC, and he has a made 3-pointer in 19 straight games dating back to last season.

Alex Villi is giving the Spirit 12.0 points per game and is tied for the team lead with six makes from beyond the arc. Villi scored double figures in all four games to start his OUAZ career.

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Players Mentioned

#23 Keshawn Bruner: G; 6' 2"; Senior

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

#3 Kolten Hitt: G; 6' 4"; Senior

#10 Alex Villi: G; 6' 7"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#23 Keshawn Bruner
: 6' 2"; Senior
: G

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

#3 Kolten Hitt
: 6' 4"; Senior
: G

#10 Alex Villi
: 6' 7"; Sophomore
: G