Complete Game Notes -
Live Stats
ATHENS, W.Va. - For a second consecutive season, the Concord University women's basketball team opens the season at the MEC-PSAC Challenge in Fairmont, West Virginia when it takes on Clarion 2:00 p.m. Friday and Lock Haven 1:00 p.m. Saturday. The tournament will be hosted by Fairmont State at Joe Retton Arena.
LIVE COVERAGE
The Fairmont State University Sports Information Department will provide live statistics for both games this week. To access the live coverage, follow the link at the top of the page or click
here.
WELCOME BACK
Even though Concord lost its top scorer from a season ago, Alexis Lowery, the Mountain Lions still return 64.3 percent of its points from last year's team.
Senior guard
Danielle Catron (12.5) and junior guard
Emily Boothe (10.3) both return after averaging double-digit points per game.
Two other players, senior guard
Lindsey Overbey (8.7) and senior forward
Heather Chapman (7.0) both tallied at least seven points per game last season for CU.
DIGGING INTO THE RECORD BOOKS
To begin her final season, Catron needs 150 points to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
Catron would be the 16th player in program history to reach 1,000 points, and the first since Andrea Bertrand during the 2013-14 season.
After connecting on 48 three-pointers during her sophomroe season, Boothe needs one three-pointer to become the 10th player in program history to reach 100 for a career.
Last season, Boothe set the single-season record for three-pointer percentage as she shot 45.3 from beyond the arc (48-for-106).
To start this season, Boothe is second in school history in three-point shooting (39.3 percent / 99-for-252).
MEETING THE NEW
During the offseason head coach
Kenny Osborne and assistant coach
Tesla Akers welcomed 10 new players to the program.
Nine freshmen and one junior college transfer fill out the roster for the Mountain Lions.
Junior guard
Andreanna Pool comes to Concord from Guilford Tech in North Carolina where she led the Division II junior college ranks in assists two seasons ago.
The freshmen class is made up of guard
Savannah Coble (Connelly Springs, North Carolina), forward
Jia Coppola (Bluefield, West Virginia), guard
Savannah Dunford (Max Meadows, Virginia), forward
Riley Fitzwater (Stouts Mills, West Virginia), guard Abagail Gwinn (Shady Spring, West Virginia), guard
Keely Lundy (Galax, Virginia), forward
Tamra Scott (Edinburgh, Virginia), guard
Kylie Shuff (Glenville, West Virginia) and guard
Jaime Vest (Princeton, West Virginia).
SHOOTING EFFICIENCY
Concord finished top five in the MEC last season in both three-point shooting percentage and free-throw percentage.
The Mountain Lions were third in the conference in free-throw shooting (.758).
Catron led CU by going 53-for-56 at the charity stripe last season as she shot 94.6 percent from the foul line.
Boothe was 42-for-52 on free throws last year as she converted 80.8 percent.
Chapman (40-for-55 / 72.7 percent) and sophomore forward
Madison May (33-forr-46 / 71.7 percent) were just a couple ticks under Concord's team percentage.
Meanwhile, CU shot 33.7 percent from three-point distance, fourth best in the league.
Boothe led all Mountain Lions in three-point shooting while Overbey was a 36.2 percent shooter from distance last season, a career-high.Â
2016 MEC-PSAC CHALLENGE
The Mountain Lions played the same two foes at the MEC-PSAC last season as it narrowly fell to Lock Haven 62-56 on the first day before losing to Clarion on the second.
Chapman scored 10 points in both games and nearly had a double-double versus Clarion as she finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Against LHU, Boothe came off the bench and recorded 10 points 3-for-6 shooting including draining two three-pointers.
CLARION AT A GLANCE
Jordan Bekelja leads the Clarion returners after averaging 11.0 points per game in 2016-17.
Clarion went 15-14 last season before losing in the first round of the PSAC Tournament to Mercyhurst.
Despite finishing above .500, the Golden Eagles went 2-6 in their final eight games last season.
Clarion shot 52.5 percent from the floor in last year's win over Concord.
LOCK HAVEN AT A GLANCE
LHU finished 10-16 last season.
The Bald Eagles return just one player who averaged double figures last season, Madison McHale (10.3 points per game).
McHale scored 12 points against Concord last season, but needed 13 shots to reach double digits in scoring.
Lock Haven held the Mountain Lions to 36.2 percent shooting from the field.
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