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CHARLESTON, S.C. – Following a full weekend of action inside McAlister Field House, The Citadel men's basketball team will now travel to Southern Conference foes ETSU on Thursday and VMI on Saturday.
 
Last Thursday, The Citadel fell in a close contest to Wofford 100-90. Senior Warren Sledge had a career outing for the Bulldogs in the game, scoring a career-high 26 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the floor. Sledge also hit four treys and dished out three assists in the contest. Frankie Johnson also had a solid game against the Terriers, tallying 14 points, six rebounds and six assists in a contest that featured seven ties and nine lead changes.  
 
Saturday the 'Dogs lost to Furman after their rally in the closing moments of the second half came up just short. The Citadel trailed by as many as 28 points and fought back to cut the deficit to just three with 1:30 left in the game but Furman hit all six of its free throws down the stretch to clinch the road win. Head coach Duggar Baucom and company forced the Paladins to turn the ball over 17 times and scoring 21 points off those turnovers. Ezekiel Balogun had a stellar game for the 'Dogs, recording his first-career double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Sledge had another solid performance, scoring 17 points and dishing out five assists against the SoCon-leading Paladins.
 
ETSU, currently in second place in the conference, heads into Thursday's game after suffering a narrow loss at Wofford on Monday. The Bucs are 6-3 since the last meeting with the Bulldogs and boast a 9-2 mark at home this year.  
 
VMI is currently in the midst of a six-game homestand and will host Mercer on Thursday before taking on The Citadel. The Keydets are 2-5 since the January meeting between the two schools with wins over Western Carolina and Chattanooga during that time. VMI is 4-5 at home this year and 5-16 overall.
 
Tip for Thursday's game is set for 7 p.m. and Saturday's game will tip at 1 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN3 with live stats available at CitadelSports.com.
 
FAST FACTS
• Zane Najdawi is currently first in the SoCon in offensive rebounds, third in rebounds and seventh in scoring. He is also tied for sixth in the NCAA for most free throws made in a single game after sinking 16 against Colgate on Dec. 2. His 128 free throws made are 11th most in program history in a single season.
• Preston Parks currently ranks fourth on The Citadel's list of points scored by a freshman. Parks has 347 points on the season and is 14 points behind Austin Dahn. He is also tied for third among freshmen with 87 assists.
• Parks has been explosive for the Bulldogs this season and led The Citadel in scoring for four consecutive games beginning with a 20-point effort at Virginia Tech. The Greenville, South Carolina, native has recorded 16 games in double figures and nine games with at least 20 points.
• The freshman's 32 points on Dec. 28 is the fourth-highest single-game total among conference members in 2016-17. He also ranks sixth in the SoCon in scoring.
• The Citadel is ranked first in Division I in scoring for the 11th straight week. The Bulldogs have been the NCAA's highest-scoring team every day since Nov. 25, 2016.
• The Bulldogs recorded 10 steals against Wofford on Feb. 2, marking the ninth time this season The Citadel has tallied double-digit steals in a game. The 'Dogs are second in the NCAA with 245 total steals this year.
• The Citadel's high-powered offense ranks first in six different categories among Southern Conference members including scoring offense (93.1), steals (9.8), assists (17.4), offensive rebounds (14.3), turnover margin (+4.08) and three-point field goals made (12.2).
• The Citadel scored 51 points in the second half of the game against Furman, marking the 18th time this season the squad has posted at least 50 points in a half. The Citadel has also scored at least 100 points in a game eight times this season, something Coach Baucom's squad did just twice last year.
• Led by Preston Parks' 15.8 points per game and Zane Najdawi's 15.7 PPG, The Citadel is one of two SoCon teams with multiple scorers ranked in the top-10 in the conference.
• The Bulldogs own seven of the 11 highest-scoring performances in the SoCon this season.
 
For more information on The Citadel basketball, follow @CitadelHoops or visit CitadelSports.com.