Thursday, January 18 • UAFS (Faculty/Staff Appreciation) • 7:30 p.m.
UAFS (4-11, 2-7)
Head Coach: Zane Gibson (32-49)
at St. Mary's (6-8, 2-6)
Head Coach: Bubba Meyer (6-8)
Arena: Bill Greehey
Saturday, January 20 • Oklahoma Christian • 3 p.m.
Oklahoma Christian (7-8, 4-5)
Head Coach: Kendre Talley (40-74)
at St. Mary's (6-8, 2-6)
Head Coach: Bubba Meyer (6-8)
Arena: Bill Greehey
Opening Tip
•   St. Mary's Men's Basketball looks to carry the momentum from last week into another home series as they host UAFS for the final time in Lone Star Conference play and Oklahoma Christian.
•   Arkansas-Fort Smith and St. Mary's have been members of the same conference since the Lions joined the Heartland Conference for the 2009-10 season. UAFS holds a 16-13 lead in the all-time series, but the Rattlers are 10-4 at Bill Greehey Arena and have won the last three meetings overall. UAFS will depart the LSC after the conclusion of this year to join the MIAA.
•   The Rattlers hold an 11-6 edge in the series with Oklahoma Christian which includes a 6-2 record at Bill Greehey Arena. StMU won both meetings with the Eagles a year ago and have won three of the last four.
•   St. Mary's is one of only two teams in the Lone Star Conference that has five players averaging double figures in scoring, along with UT Permian Basin. Davion Coleman (15.0), Jalon Johnson (10.9), Keith Dinwiddie (10.8), Tyler Caron (10.7) and Lachlan Bofinger (10.1) are all scoring 10 or more points a night.
•   Junior Franklin Agu became the fourth different Rattler this season to score 20 points in a game when he collected the first double-double of his StMU career against DBU with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Davion Coleman has scored 20 or more four times, while Keith Dinwiddie and Jalon Johnson have each done so once this year.
•   Six times this season, St. Mary's has scored 50 or more points in the second half. The Rattlers have scored 153 more points in the second half than the first, averaging 45.3 points after the break and 34.4 in the first half.
•   A season ago, the Rattlers scored over 75 a total of eight times. This season, the team has scored over 75 in 12 of the first 14 games of the year.
•   The Rattlers have utilized eight different starting lineups in 12 games this season. Only Jalon Johnson has started all 14 contests, though seven Rattlers have played in all 12.
•   The Rattlers have the best bench scoring in the Lone Star Conference, as the team averages 31.86 points from the non-starters. That average also ranks as the 23rd-best in the nation.
•   Lachlan Bofinger leads the Lone Star Conference (and is 11th in the nation) in offensive rebounds with 3.57 per game. He also ranks second in the Lone Star and seventh in the nation with eight double-doubles, trailing only Lathaniel Bastian's nine (UTPB). In conference games, Bofinger is averaging a double-double with 10.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He and Bastian are the only two averaging a double-double against league foes.
•   The 13.71 offensive rebounds per game this season ranks 17th in the nation and is second in the Lone Star Conference (Cameron).Â
•   Senior Tyler Caron sank another five three-pointers last week - including one where he was bumped by an official, and he is now fifth all-time in St. Mary's history with 138. Caron passes Anthony Weeaks (2001-04) with 133 and is 19 away from tying Billy White (2002-05) and Skyler Brooks (2015-19) for fourth with 157.
•   In the overtime loss at Midwestern State, the Rattlers collected a school record 29 offensive rebounds (Division II era), breaking the previous record of 28 against Huston-Tillotson on Dec. 1, 2009. St. Mary's out-rebounded the Mustangs 62-to-33 in the game.
•   Senior Edward Manuel tied the team's season-high for steals when he swiped five at Eastern New Mexico, knotting the five Diego Gonzalez collected in the win over College of Biblical Studies. They are the only two on the current roster with five steals in a game and Gonzalez has done it twice.
•   Several Rattlers are closing in or recently accomplished career milestones:
   Franklin Agu: 7 points shy of 100
   Tyler Caron: 3 assists shy of 100; 900th point vs UT Tyler (901); 29 rebounds shy 400
   Davion Coleman: 50th assist vs DBU (52); 8 free throws from 100 points at line
   Keith Dinwiddie: 1 points shy of 300; 50th assist vs DBU (54)
   Diego Gonzalez: 8 points shy of 100
   Jalon Johnson: 5 steals shy of 50; 26 points shy of 400; 11 free throws from 100 points at line
   Micah Jones: 19 points shy of 100
   Edward Manuel: 24 points shy of 200
   Seny N'Diaye: 50th block vs DBU (52); 12 points shy of 100; 3 rebounds shy of 150
•   Senior transfer Davion Coleman earned the first-ever Lone Star Offensive Player of the Week honors after helping lead the team to a 2-0 start. Coleman averaged 25.5 points, scoring a career-best 29 in the win over Regis.
•   St. Mary's has made at least one three-pointer in 176 consecutive games, dating back to Jan. 14, 2017. The Rattlers are averaging 7.0 triples a contest and eight different players have made at least one this year.
•   The 17 steals for the Rattlers against CBS ties for the seventh most in St. Mary's history and is the most in a game since they had 19 against Regis on Nov. 14, 2015.
•   The Rattlers are six wins away from the 1400th in St. Mary's history in its 90th year of competition.
