Concord Stats -
Shepherd Stats -
Fairmont State Stats -
Live Stats -
Live Video -
Complete Game Notes
ATHENS, W.Va. - The Concord University women's basketball team returns to Mountain East Conference play 5:30 p.m. Thursday when it hosts Shepherd inside the Carter Center before continuing MEC action 2:00 p.m. Saturday when it welcomes Fairmont State.
LIVE COVERAGE
Stats: The Concord University Sports Information Department provides live in-game statistics for all home games throughout the season.
Video: Live streaming video is also available for the two games courtesy of the Concord Sports Information Department.
RECORDS
The Mountain Lions have run off three straight wins and sit at 8-3 overall and 4-2 in the MEC.
Shepherd enters the week with a mark of 5-7 and is 2-4 against MEC foes.
Fairmont State has identical marks as Shepherd, both overall and in the league.
HITTING THE MARK
One of the biggest reasons for CU winning three consecutive games is the Mountain Lions' high efficiency shooting the ball. Concord has shot at least 48 percent in four of the five contests with the lone exception being a 44-percent performance in a 66-60 win over Davis & Elkins on December 19. On January 3, the Maroon and Gray shot a season-best 57.1 percent (36-for-63) from the floor as it tied a season best with 36 made shots in a 90-73 win over Salem. The frontcourt duo of sophomore Riley Fitzwater and junior Madison May have paced the shooting effort in recent games. Fitzwater is shooting 75.5 percent (34-for-45) while May is shooting 62.1 percent (46-for-74) in her last five games. Fitzwater leads NCAA Division II in field goal percentage for the season (73.1 percent). As a team, the Mountain Lions are 10th nationally in field goal percentage (47.3). Along with Fitzwater and May, sophomore forward Tamra Scott is shooting above the team mark with a showing of 69.4 percent (25-for-36).
TOUGH SLEDDING
While the Concord offense has been clicking along in the recent stretch, the Mountain Lions are stymying opponents on the defensive end of the floor too. Of the 11 games CU has played this season, only two opponents (Charleston and Notre Dame) have shot 45 percent or better from the field against Concord. Of the last five games, four teams have posted a field goal percentage below 35 percent versus Concord including the Mountain Lions holding Davis & Elkins to 29.4 percent shooting. Against Salem, CU limited the Tigers to 31.1 percent (28-for-90) from the field. Additionally, over the last three games the Maroon and Gray has forced 23 steals. Senior guard Emily Boothe has six steals in her last three games while May and sophomore forward Keely Lundy have each added four steals in the last three games.
SWAT TEAM
The Mountain Lions jump back into MEC play tied for first with Stonehill for blocks per game among Division II teams with 6.2. Fitzwater leads the nation in blocks per game (4.5) as she has posted at least two blocks in every game this season. Meanwhile, May has picked up her block production of late with seven blocks in the last three games, including a season-high four against Davis & Elkins.
OLD FRIENDS GETTING TOGETHER
During the 2017-18 season, Concord and Shepherd met a total of three times. After the Rams won by 12 on their home floor in early January, the final two meetings were decided by a combined six points with the contest in Athens going to overtime and the MEC Tournament meeting being decided on a late shot. Shepherd swept CU last season as it won 76-72 at Concord and clipped the Mountain Lions 76-74 in the MEC Tournament. The now-graduated Morgan Arden averaged 32.0 points per game in three games versus Concord last season. In the MEC Tournament contest, Fitzwater had 23 points, 19 rebounds and six blocks. Her 19 rebounds broke the single-game MEC Tournament record. In three games versus Shepherd, Fitzwater averaged 15.6 points, 12.6 rebounds and 4.6 blocks per contest.
TWO OF THE BEST
While Concord ranks 10th nationally in field goal percentage, Shepherd is not far behind sitting 20th in Division II (46.0). However, the Rams rank fourth in the MEC in field goal percentage since Charleston ranks eighth nationally and West Liberty is 12th. SU will pit its potent offense—that also shoots 41 percent from three-point distance—against Concord's stingy defense that along with limiting teams to 37.9 percent shooting overall, best in the MEC, and I also holding opponents to 30.6 percent shooting from three-point range. Only Charleston and Notre Dame have shot higher than 40 percent from beyond the arc against CU this season.
SNAPPING THE STREAK
The Mountain Lions have lost 10 straight meetings with Fairmont State dating back to the 2013-14 season when Concord knocked off the Fighting Falcons in a neutral court game in Logan, West Virginia. Since 1995, FSU holds a 20-11 series advantage versus CU. In seven career games versus Fairmont State, Boothe is averaging 9.5 points and 2.0 steals per game. In her first career contest against FSU on January 6, 2016, the Riner, Virginia native had a career-best five steals. Fitzwater averaged 14.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 5.5 blocks in two games against Fairmont State last season.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
1- The Mountain Lions held Fairmont State to one three-pointer (1-for-21) in last year's game at the Carter Center, but FSU won 71-57.
+5.0- Concord's MEC-leading rebound margin this season, compared to Shepherd at -3.5.
 17.8- Average bench scoring for Concord over the last five games including a season-best 29 points against Salem.
SHEPHERD AT A GLANCE
The Rams are led by Sydney Clayton, Kari Lankford and Kayla Tibbs. Clayton is second in the MEC in field goal percentage behind Fitzwater at 64.1 percent and is averaging 18.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Lankford, who is the reigning MEC Player of the Week does a little bit of everything for Shepherd, averaging 11.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and an MEC-high 8.0 assists per game. Lankford is third in Division II in assists and is coming off a 16-point, 12-rebound, 15-assist performance against Millersville. Tibbs is one of the best three-point shooters in the conference, connecting on a league-best 40 three-pointers while shooting 47.1 percent from beyond the arc.
FAIRMONT STATE AT GLANCE
FSU returns the 2018 MEC Freshman of the Year, Sierra Kotchman, who is leading the Fighting Falcons in scoring this season (16.2). Brooke Kurucz (15.6) and Rachel Laskody (14.8) are also averaging in double figures to complement Kotchman. Concord and Fairmont State along with UVa.-Wise are the only three teams in the MEC holding opponents under 40 percent shooting this season. The Fighting Falcons do a stellar job of taking care of the ball, averaging a league-low 14.7 turnovers per game and possessing the second-best turnover margin (+2.9).
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