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NOEL
Benjamin Lilley

ASUN Action Opens on New Year's Day

12/30/2025 1:30:00 PM

By: Danny Talbert
CARROLLTON, Ga. - West Georgia men's basketball kicks off the New Year, hosting the Bellarmine Knights in the first ASUN game of the season this Thursday (Jan. 1). Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game is streaming live on ESPN+.

Heading into conference play UWG (6-6) sits in fourth place in the ASUN, while the Knights (5-7) are just behind in sixth. As head coach Dave Moore has touched on throughout the season, the real test starts now for the Wolves.

UWG beat Bellarmine last season 81-76 in Kentucky, pushing the Wolves' all-time series lead to 1-0 over the Knights. 

Coming out of non-conference play, UWG is led on offense by forward Shelton Williams-Dryden, who is averaging 17.5 points (third in the ASUN) and 8.9 rebounds (second in the ASUN) while shooting 45 percent from the field (tenth in the ASUN). In addition to leading the Pack in scoring and on the glass, the Milwaukee native posts a UWG-best 18 steals (seventh in the ASUN with 1.5 spg) and has totaled 19 assists and three blocks. In the Wolves' game at No. 23 Georgia, Williams-Dryden recorded his fourth 20-point performance of the season, finishing the day with a team-high 23 points and four steals to earn ASUN Player of the Week honors for the second time this season and the third time in his career.

Also coming off a solid performance against the Bulldogs is senior guard Malcolm Noel, who dropped a career-high 16 points and totaled a season-high four rebounds in Athens. This marked the guard's second double-digit scoring performance of the year. Appearing in eight games, Noel has averaged 6.3 points, 2.6 assists and 1.4 rebounds while shooting 49 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc. 

For BU, the Knights and the ASUN are led in scoring by senior forward Jack Karasinski, who averages 21.1 points per game while shooting 58 percent from the field (second in the ASUN). In addition to leading the team in scoring, Karasinski posts a Bellarmine-best 5.7 rebounds per game, while totalling nine steals, eight assists and two blocks. Going over his game logs, Karasinski has scored 20 or more points in all but two appearances, and he most recently achieved this feat by dropping 24 at Kentucky (Dec. 23). Remarkably, 50 of his 211 total points have come from the free throw line, which is more than any other ASUN player.

Right behind Karasinski, averaging 15.3 points (sixth in the ASUN) and 4.1 rebounds per game is forward Brian Waddell. Not only is he scoring over 15 points per night, he is also doing it at a league-leading 63 percent from the field, which ranks him 22nd nationally. Starting in all twelve games, the Purdue transfer has knocked down 20 or more points twice, highlighted by a career-high 25-point performance vs Murray St (Dec. 6).

With these two Knights shooting at an incredibly high rate, it should come as no surprise that Bellarmine leads the ASUN in shooting, hitting at a 52 percent field goal rate. The Knights also shoot 35 percent from three-point range, a league-best 82 percent from the line and average 78.3 points per game while conceding 79 points. The Wolves record a 43 percent field goal rate, 37 percent three-point percentage and a 71 percent free throw percentage, resulting in a 76.3 points per game average. On defense, UWG allows 80.7 points per game.

Tipoff from The Coliseum is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday. Don't miss out on the ASUN action, purchase your tickets here.
 
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