LIBERTY, Mo. – The William Jewell men's basketball team returns to action with a busy week ahead, playing four games over a seven-day stretch. The Cardinals begin with a road trip to Drury on Sunday before returning home on Tuesday to host crosstown rival Rockhurst.  

ADMISSION 🎟
🟢 Spectators are permitted. 

BROADCAST 🎥 
• vs. Drury
• vs. Rockhurst

LIVE STATS 📊
• vs. Drury
• vs. Rockhurst

CARDINAL NOTES

• Jewell enters the new year on a three-game win streak, after defeating Missouri S&T followed by non-conference wins over Baptist Bible and St Mary.
• The Cardinals get to the free throw line just over 16 times per game and continue to make teams pay for putting them there, connecting on 79.8 percent of attempts, which is eighth best in Division II. Jordan Jermain is tops on the team with an 84.4 percent clip, fourth in the GLVC amongst eligible players (2.5 made per game). Meanwhile, Heri Tshiyoyo (93.8), Trey Shannon (88.2), Mason Alexander (87.5), Jevaughn Ferguson (81.3) and John Zimmerman (80.0) are all at or above the 80 percent mark. 
• Jewell is third in the GLVC and in the top-100 amongst Division II teams, forcing opponents into nearly 15 turnovers per game. The Cardinals average 7.5 steals per outing with their 75 ranking fourth-best in the league. Kobe McKinley has been an absolute menace to opposing teams, as the junior is averaging just under three takeaways a game to lead the conference and rank in the top-20 nationally. 
• As a team, the Cardinals have upped their scoring average to 73 points per night while holding opponents to 68.8, seventh best in the league. Jewell has held an opponent under the 60-point mark twice this season, including allowing No. 11 Washburn just 52 points in an upset win on November 17. The last time the Cards held an opponent under 50 was a 48-point defensive effort in early January 2015 against Southern Indiana. 
• Mason Alexander will go down as one of the best long-range shooters in program history, recently moving past Jason Generally (1991-95) into sixth all-time with his 169th career triple with an opportunity to move into the top-five this season. The senior is also seventh with 460 attempts and 14th with a .366 clip from three-point land. This season, he is seventh in the GLVC with 2.4 made per game and 24 total. 
• Heri Tshiyoyo was recruited with the intent of being a force on the glass and he has lived up to expectations. The big man enters the thick of conference play, leading the league with 86 total boards, and is second with 8.6 per game, including six on the defensive end. 
• John Zimmerman handed out a career-high 10 assists against St. Mary just before the break. The senior's total was the most by a Cardinal since 2014. As a team, the Cardinals have averaged 19 assists during their three-game winning streak, 10 more than the previous three game stretch. 
• Trey Shannon continues to bring a quiet steadiness to the floor for Jewell. The junior is averaging more than 34 minutes per game, third most by any player in the GLVC while scoring just 7.9 points, three rebounds and 1.6 assist per night. 
• The Cardinals were without the services of Jevaughn Ferguson in the final game prior to the break, allowing for valuable minutes for Mawutor Nogoson who made the most of the opportunity. The sophomore played in a career best 21 minutes and recorded his first double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds to go with one block and two steals. 
• Chris McCabe is now in his third season at the helm of the Cardinal program. The 14th coach in program history will look to get Jewell back to the GLVC Tournament for the first time since 2018. 
• Jewell is in its 123rd season of men's basketball on The Hill and are chasing win No. 1,700. The Cardinals entered the season with 1,668 victories, winning nearly 60% of the time over the last century-plus.
   

ABOUT DRURY

• Drury enters the main conference season, coming off a loss to Southern Nazarene, for the second time this season. The Panthers split their GLVC-opening weekend with a loss to Missouri S&T and a win over Rockhurst. 
• As a team, the Panthers average better than 75 points per game, led by Malek Davis' 15.3, which is tenth in the conference. The junior guard, and former GLV All-Freshman Team member, also dishes out 3.4 assists per game. Victor Nwagbarachoa (11.4) and Obi Okafor (10.0) also average in double-figures. 
• Defensively, Drury is 15th in the GLVC, allowing opponents nearly 83 points per night. Okafor is the Panthers' top rebounder at six boards per game. 
• The Panthers are under the direction of first-year head coach Chris Foster, who is very familiar with the GLVC having spent time at McKendree and Truman, however the head man has been away from the sideline with a medical issue since late November. In his absence, top assistant Chris Carr has led the team.
   

ABOUT ROCKHURST

• Rockhurst struggled early in the season but, like the Cardinals, enter 2022 riding a three-game winning streak, defeating Baptist Bible, York (Neb.) and Avila. 
• The Hawks have one of the top three-point shooters in the GLVC this season in sophomore Jake Auer, who is averaging 3.75 triples per game and shooting at better than a 40 percent clip. Auer leads Rockhurst with 15.8 points per night while Nick Volz (14.4), Damari Nixon (12.0) and Rich Byhre (11.8) are also in double-figures. As a team, the Hawks have lived by the three at times, leading the conference in attempts and averaging more than 11 makes in wins this season. 
• Volz is the Hawks top rebounder on the season, grabbing 7.2 as Rockhurst averages just under 36 per night. 
• Drew Diener is in his seventh season at Rockhurst, going 87-87 during that time. Prior to coming to Kansas City, Diener led Cardinal Stritch to six conference championships and was the 2013 NABC National Coach of the Year.