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CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Citadel men's basketball team returns to McAlister Field House this week after splitting a pair of road games against Western Carolina and East Tennessee State. After facing UNC-Greensboro at 6 p.m. Thursday, the Bulldogs welcome rival VMI at 1 p.m. Saturday.
 
The Citadel has won two of its last three games to bounce back from an 0-4 start to Southern Conference action. Last Thursday, the Bulldogs snapped an eight-game skid vs. Western Carolina with a 92-91 victory. Senior point guard P.J. Boutte scored the last four points of the contest, including a pair of game-clinching free throws to seal a huge road win.
 
Two days later, The Citadel fell in an overtime battle at league-leading East Tennessee State. Freshman Quayson Williams drained seven three-pointers and scored 29 points to help the Bulldogs force overtime, but The Citadel couldn't overcome a late Bucs rally.
 
Six different Bulldogs are averaging double figures over the last three games heading in to this week's important slate at McAlister Field House. The Citadel split its pair of matchups against UNCG last season and two of the last three meetings between the programs have gone in to overtime. At halftime of Thursday's clash, The Citadel's Southern Conference Champion football team will be honored.
 
When the Bulldogs face off with VMI on Saturday, they will seek their 55th win in the all-time series. The Citadel holds a 31-19 advantage at home since the two schools first met in 1929. For tickets, visit PackTheMac.com.

For more information on The Citadel men's basketball, stay tuned to CitadelSports.com and follow @CitadelHoops. 
 
NOTES
• The Bulldogs are now 5-2 in games decided by five points or less this season, including 3-1 in contests decided by three points or less after the 92-91 win over Western Carolina.
• Coming into this season, The Citadel had scored more than 88 points in a Southern Conference win just once since 2000. The Bulldogs have done that twice already through seven SoCon games and piled up at least 89 points in three consecutive games.
• The Citadel is the only team in the nation that averages more than 89 points per game with a Division I-leading 89.8 PPG.
• As of Jan. 9, the Bulldogs were averaging just 34.9 rebounds per game and getting outrebounded by roughly nine boards per contest. In The Citadel's last three games, in which the Dogs are 2-1 (with an OT loss), they are averaging 44.7 rebounds per game and outrebounding opponents. Senior Derrick Henry is collecting a team-best 7.3 RPG in that span.
• When the Bulldogs have held a rebounding edge, they are 6-0 this season.
• The Citadel is 449 points away from setting the school record for total points in a season and 46 three-pointers shy from the setting the school for total treys in a season with at least 12 games remaining.
• Senior Quinton Marshall is set to earn his team-leading 60th career start on Thursday. Marshall is the lone Bulldog to start in every game this season.
•  The Bulldogs are responsible for four of the top 10 single-game performances in the SoCon this season (Derrick Henry - 30 pts., 30 pts.; Quayson Williams 30 pts., 29 pts.). No other SoCon team is responsible for more than two.
•  Williams is blossoming in Southern Conference play. The freshman averaged 21 points during The Citadel's recent 1-1 road trip. He is the only freshman in the conference to score 30 points in a game this season and the only player in the league to hit seven three-pointers in a game twice during the 2015-16 campaign.
• Williams' 45 three-pointers  are already the eighth-most treys made by a freshman in a season in program history .
• Williams and three other freshmen (Zane Najdawi, Matt Frierson and Connor Schroeder) are averaging a combined 29.7 points per game in Southern Conference play.
• Through seven SoCon games, Najdawi is averaging 7.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in just 20 minutes per game. He's started 17 games as the Bulldogs' center.  He ranks second in the SoCon in blocks per game with 1.7.
• The Citadel is the only team in the SoCon to have forced more than 350 turnovers this season. The Bulldogs lead the league in steals and turnover margin. Conference play has been no different as the Dogs have forced a league-best 17.4 turnovers per game. Samford and Wofford each committed season-high TO numbers against The Citadel
• The Bulldogs sit atop the Southern Conference in several statistical categories, including points per game, total assists (347), assists per game (17.4), total field goals made (621) and three-pointers per game (11.9).
• Senior point guard P.J. Boutte has dished out 117 total assists through 20 games, which leads the SoCon. The 117 dimes already ranks 14th all-time in program history for assists in a season. If the 2015-16 campaign ended today, his 2.25 assist-to-turnover ratio would rank fourth all-time in school history for a single season. So far it's the highest assist-to-turnover ratio by a Bulldog since 2000-01.
• Marshall has already set the highest season scoring output of his career with 250 points during the 2015-16 campaign (notched 224 as a sophomore). He surpassed the 700-point plateau during Thursday's 18-point performance at WCU.