Concord Begins MEC Tournament Versus Wheeling Jesuit

Concord Stats - Wheeling Jesuit Stats - Live Audio - Live Stats - Live Video - MEC Tournament Bracket - Complete Game Notes

ATHENS, W.Va. - Riding a six-game winning streak, the Concord University men's basketball  team will start the Mountain East Conference Tournament with a quarterfinal matchup aginst Wheeling Jesuit 2:15 Friday at the Charelston Civic Center.

LIVE COVERAGE
Jason "Moose" Reed and Steve Cox will provide live play-by-play coverage of each of Concord's games throughout the MEC Tournament. Reed and Cox's coverage can be heard on 97.3 FM locally and online at mywillie.com. The league office will provide live in-game statistics and live streaming video of the every game during the tournament. To access the live coverage, follow the links at the top of the page or by clicking here.

RECORDS
• The Mountain Lions have won 20 games for the first time since 2003-2004 and enter the MEC Tournament with a 20-8 overall record and are 15-7 in league play.

• Wheeling Jesuit is 20-9 overall and 14-8 in MEC play.

THE COACHES
• Concord's Kent McBride is 61-52 in four seasons at his alma mater. 

• Wheeling Jesuit's Danny Sancomb has compiled a 136-96 mark in eight seasons. 

MOUNTAIN LION NOTES
• The Mountain Lions are coming off a 74-59 road win against UVa.-Wise to end the regular season.

• Saturday marked the second straight time in a conference game and third overall this season that CU has erased a halftime deficit to win.

• Concord trailed 32-29 to the Cavaliers before outscoring them 45-27 in the second half.

• Senior guard Mike Boyd was perfect on the day as he hit all five shots from the field and all of his seven foul shot attempts in game.

• Boyd led the Mountain Lions in scoring with 17 points to go along with seven assists.

• Sophomore guard Aaron Miller (16 points), junior guard Rob Reed (14 points) and junior forward Jametrius Wade (12 points) also contributed double-digit point totals.

• The win over UVa.-Wise assured Concord a first-round bye in the MEC Tournament regardless of any other result on the final day of conference play.

• On Tuesday, head coach Kent McBride was named MEC Coach of the Year after he guided the Mountain Lions to their first 20-win season since 2003-2004, McBride's sophomore season as a player at CU.

• What may be more impressive is just a season ago Concord finished the 2013-14 season with a mark of 8-21 and was picked 10th in the MEC preseason poll.

• McBride is also trying to guide the Mountain Lions to NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 1996-1997 season.

• The latest NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Rankings were released Wednesday with the Mountain Lions being slotted eighth while Wheeling Jesuit dropped out of the rankings, after being 10th last week

• Along with McBride receiving COY, Boyd and Miller were named to the All-MEC First Team.

• Boyd led the conference in assists per game (5.9) and recorded an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.52, trailing only West Liberty's Devin Hoehn for the league lead.

• Boyd also ended the regular seson as the Mountain Lions' second leading scorer (13.4).

• Meanwhile, Miller was one of the most efficient shooters in the league as he finished sixth in the league in scoring (18.3),  third in field goal percentage (.561 / 192-for-342), fifth in three-point percentage (.471 / 72-for-153) and third in made three-pointers (72) in the MEC.

• Junior forward Terry Hopewell was also named to the All-MEC Honorable Mention team.

• Hopewell's seven double-doubles tied for second in the MEC as he averaged 9.9 points per game and 7.6 rebound per contest.

• Friday's contest could very well be an elimination game for NCAA Tournament consideration with both Concord and Wheeling Jesuit on the bubble for tournament berths.

• The top eight teams from each region make the NCAA Tournament.

• CU and the Cardinals split the season series with each team winning at home.

• On Jan. 5, Concord defeated WJU 84-80 as Miller tied his career high with six three-pointers on his way to 25 points.

• Sophomore guard B.J. Hamlet also tied his career best by scoring 18 points in the victory.

• Hopewell recorded one of his seven double-double after a 16 point, 15 rebound effort against WJU.

• The Mountain Lions fell on the road 90-79 Feb. 7 to Wheeling Jesuit, however, Reed scored a then career-high 31 points as he made 11-of-22 shot from the field.

• Concord is 18-1 when it holds opponents under 80 points and is 2-7 when allowing 81 or more points.

• This will be CU's second trip to the quarterfinal round of a conference tournament under McBride.

• In his first season, 2011-2012, the Mountain Lions upset Wheeling Jesuit in the quarterfinals to advance to the tournament semifinals.

• Boyd is the only current CU player to play in the quarterfinal round of a conference tournament.

• Against WJU as a true freshman in 2011-2012, Boyd recorded five points, five assists and two steals in 24 minutes of action as CU won 89-84 in OT

• Wheeling Jesuit ended the regular season by winning 13 of its last 15 contests.

• During that stretch, the Cardinals were 4-2 against the league's top five teams.

• WJU advanced to the quarterfinal round of the MEC Championship by downing Urbana 100-84 as it tied its season-high in field goal percentage by shooting 64.2 (34-for-53) in the win.

• Second team All-MEC performer Justin Fritts scored 20 points to lead the Cardinals while All-MEC first teamer Eric Siefert scored 15 points.

• MEC Freshman of the Year Pat Moseh added 13 points.

• Siefert (16.1 ppg) leads four Cardinals in double figures as Fritts (15.5 ppg), Moseh (13.6 ppg) and Kyle Ritz (11.4 ppg) also average double figures.

A CONCORD WIN WOULD...
• A Concord win would snap a three-game conference tournament losing streak under McBride, CU is 2-3 in McBride's tenure

•A Concord win would advance the Mountain Lions to the MEC tournament semifinals at 8:15 p.m. Saturday.

• A Concord win would be the first MEC Tournament win for CU in school history.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
20- Concord and Wheeling Jesuit will be the only quarterfinal game that features both teams with 20 wins.

10- Wheeling Jesuit is the only team Concord has hit 10 or more three-pointers on twice this season. CU hit 10 in the first matchup with WJU anad knocked down 11 three-pointers on the road.

18- Concord has made the semifinals of a conference tournament 18 times dating back to 1934-35