FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Indiana Tech men's basketball team takes it four-game conference winning streak on the road this week as they face off with a pair of Saints in Siena Heights and Aquinas.
 
Indiana Tech (6-4, 4-1 WHAC)
 
Wednesday, Dec. 9, 8 p.m. at Siena Heights (4-6, 2-3 WHAC) – Adrian, Michigan (Fred Smith Court at the Siena Heights Fieldhouse)
Saturday, Dec. 12, 3 p.m. at RV Aquinas (8-4, 5-0 WHAC) – Grand Rapids, Michigan (Sturrus Sports & Fitness Center)
 
Following the Warriors: Links to live stats and video will be available for the Siena Heights contest at IndianaTechWarriors.com, while live audio will be provided for the Aquinas game. You can also follow the action on Twitter by following @INTechMBB and @INTechWarriors.
 
Last Time Out: The Orange and Black used an 18-4 in the last eight minutes of the first half to break away from Concordia and get a 77-63 win on the road. Miles Robinson had a team-high 19 points while pulling down four rebounds, dishing out three assists and picking up two steals. Jantzen Goodwin, Lavonte Davis Jaelen Manson each added 12 points apiece. Davis would grab seven boards and had a season-high five blocks as the Warriors held the Cardinals to a 39% shooting percentage from the floor and only 20% from behind the arc. Dominique Walls added eight points, five rebounds and three blocks.
 
Head Coach John Peckinpaugh: Now in his second season at the helm for the Orange and Black, as well as his second stint with the program, head coach John Peckinpaugh went 11-19 in his first season as the head man for the Warriors. Peckinpaugh returned to Indiana Tech after serving as an assistant for the Warriors during the 2012-2013 season, where he served as the recruiting coordinator He was instrumental in recruiting all of the returning Tech players for the 2014-2015 season during this time. In between stints with Tech, the Muncie, Indiana, native served as a graduate assistant for his alma mater, Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne (IPFW) during the 2013-14 year. While with the Mastodons, he was part of a coaching staff that helped the team achieve the most successful season in program history with a 25-11 record and being ranked No. 19 in the NCAA Division I Mid-Major poll. IPFW made it all the way to the Summit League Tournament Championship game, losing to North Dakota State, who would go on to upset fifth-seeded Oklahoma in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Mastodons would make the postseason for the first-time ever as a Division I program that season as well when they hosted Akron in the College Insider.com Tournament and defeated the Zips, 97-91.
 
Scouting the Opposition: Siena Heights – The Saints have lost their last two games, most recently suffering a 78-61 loss to Spring Arbor on Monday. George Goodman leads the team in points (13.9 ppg) and assists (3.2 apg). Jerrell Martin pulls down 7.2 rebounds per game while putting up 9.6 points a contest.
 
Aquinas – The Saints have won their last two games, including a 62-60 buzzer-beating victory over No. 2 Cornerstone on the road and are a perfect 5-0 in WHAC play. Aquinas received 13 votes in the latest NAIA Top 25 Poll. Jake Bullock hit the game-winning three-pointer, which ended up being the number one play on Sports Center's Top 10 Plays last Wednesday. Aquinas took on NCAA Division I Central Michigan in an exhibition on Monday, falling 90-51. Bullock leads the team in scoring with 16.4 points a night while Zac VanBeek is right behind at 16.3 points per game. Bryan Mitzner grabs 6.3 boards per contest while shooting 52.5% from the floor.
 
Series History: Siena Heights – Tech is 16-4 against the Saints since the 2005-06 season, most recently splitting the season series last year, with both teams winning on the road. Lindsey Franklin had 22 points in the win last year.
 
Aquinas – The Warriors are 7-15 against the Saints since the 2005-06 campaign, most recently losing both games a year ago. Franklin Lindsey scored 22 points over the two games, while Lavonte Davis had 12 in the first matchup.
 
Hard-Nosed Defense: Head coach John Peckinpaugh has instilled toughness in his team and it has translated to a suffocating defense and dominating shot-blocking presence at the rim. Tech has only allowed three opponents to score more than 70 points, with two of those games coming against third ranked Davenport and fourth ranked Saint Francis. The Orange and Black have swatted at least three shots in every game except one. Nationally, the Warriors second sixth in blocks per game (5.9), fourth in total blocks (59), 11^th in scoring defense per game (66.2), tied for 23^rd in field goal percentage defense (.406) and 29^th in three-point field goal percentage defense (.312)
 
Block Party: The Warriors imitating front-line of Dominique Walls and Lavonte Davis has made opponents hesitate coming inside the paint against Tech. Both are tied for 11^th in the country in blocks per game, swatting 2.1 shots a contest and each has 21 blocks in all, good for 13^th in the nation.

Hitting the Mark: Miles Robinson has scored in double digits in nine of the Warriors 10 games this year, and has topped the Orange and Black in scoring four times, including a career-high 26 against Michigan-Dearborn. His 86.8% free throw percentage is good for 22^nd in the nation while he is also hitting 42.1% of his shots and 43.5% of his three point attempts.
 
Making an Impression: Senior Dominique Walls has made an immediate impact for the Warriors this season after transferring from Ashford. Walls has recorded double-doubles in five of the team's 10 games while scoring in double digits in seven game. The Chicago native is averaging 15.0 points a game and shooting 60.2% and hitting 80% of his free throws. He also leads the team in rebounds (8.4 rpg), blocks (2.1 bpg) and steals (1.4 spg). His shooting percentage is 15^th in the nation he also ranks among the top-50 in offensive rebounds per game (30^th), total rebounds per game (40^th) and total rebounds (41^st).
 
This and That: Tech blocked a season-high 10 shots in the win over Concordia on Saturday, their most blocks in a game since Dec. 7, 2013, when they swatted nine against Siena Heights…the five blocks by Lavonte Davis against Concordia tied him with Dominique Walls for the most blocks in a game this year…the Warriors have yet to have a player foul out this year…Tech has held two opponents, Michigan-Dearborn and Lourdes, without a three-point basket this season…the Orange and Black have scored at least 67 points in their six wins, but have failed to score more than 64 points in their four losses.
 
Tough Sledding: The Warriors have faced off with three teams that made the NAIA Preseason Coaches' Top 25 Poll: No. 3 Davenport, No. 4 Saint Francis and No. 10 IU East. Tech will also take on preseason No. 1 Cornerstone, No. 14 Grace and No. 17 Northwestern Ohio.
 
Tough Sledding II: Tech will take on four teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the first edition of the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll. Topping the list at No. 2 and 3 are WHAC foes Cornerstone and Davenport, while Rochester moves up to 24^th after starting the season 7-0. Grace and Aquinas picked up 38 and 13 votes, respectively.
 
Getting to Know One Another: Peckinpaugh hits the recruiting trail and goes to great distances to find players. Tech has student-athletes from six different states: Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio, and three countries: Australia, Serbia and the United States. Ohio tops the list with five players hailing from the Buckeye State, while Indiana is next with four. Michigan and Florida have contributed two apiece while Illinois and Kentucky each have one.
 
Poll Thoughts: Indiana Tech was picked to finish in a tie for seventh the WHAC Coaches' Preseason Poll. Tech picked up 62 votes to tie with Michigan-Dearborn. The Warriors finished 11-19 last year with an 8-14 mark in conference play.
 
Lots of New Faces: While the Warriors returned eight players from last year's squad, that didn't stop Peckinpaugh from hitting the recruiting trail hard as he added five freshman and four transfers to the mix. Junior Jantzen Goodwin (Vincennes University), senior Jaelen Manson (Vincennes University) and senior Dominique Walls (Ashford University) will all look to make an immediate impact for Tech, while junior Edmond Early, Jr. (Owens Community College) will redshirt this season.
 
In the Trees: Tech has seven players who stand 6'5" or taller, including five that are 6'7" or taller. Lavonte Davis (6'8") returns after an injury-plagued sophomore season, while Scott Schwieterman (6'7") have rotated between starting and coming off the bench in his sophomore campaign. Junior center Laurence Mifsud (7'0"), senior forward Milos Milidragovic (6'11") and freshman forward JeQuante Davis (6'8") give the Warriors depth in the paint.