Concord Stats -
Charleston Stats -
West Virginia State Stats -
Live Stats -
Live Video
ATHENS, W.Va. - The Concord University women's basketball team begins Mountain East Conference play when it welcomes Charleston to the Carter Center 2:00 p.m. Saturday before facing West Virginia State 5:30 p.m. Tuesday on the road.
LIVE COVERAGE
Stats: Both the Concord and West Virginia State Sports Information Departments will have live in-game statistics of the two games.
Video: Live streaming video will also be provided for the games involving Concord.
RECORDS
The Mountain Lions are 2-2 this season after an 87-81 setback versus UVa.-Wise last Thursday. Charleston enters the start of MEC play with a mark of 3-1. WVSU is 1-2 this season, but is coming off a 92-78 win over Kentucky State.
DOING A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING
In the defeat against UVa.-Wise, senior forward
Madison May scored 25 points, grabbed six rebounds and tied her career high with eight assists. The Athens, West Virginia native moved into the top 10 in all-time scoring at CU with 1,191 points and will become the ninth player in program history with 1,200 career points, and first since
Jolysa Brown in 2012 with nine more points. May enters the enters the weekend as the only player in the MEC that's in the top 10 in points (fourth / 23.3 per game), rebounds (seventh / 9.0 per game) and assists (second / 5.0 per game).
MAKING IT COUNT
The Mountain Lions are one of four teams in the MEC averaging at least 80 points per game this season with 81.0 points per game. In the last 12 games—dating back to last season—the Mountain Lions have scored 80 or more points in 10 contest. And Concord starts league play leading the MEC in field goal percentage (46.7). A lot has to do with junior forward
Riley Fitzwater shooting 65.7 percent from the floor. Fitzwater is coming off an 8-for-9 performance against UVa.-Wise. Junior guard
Keely Lundy is shooting 56.5 percent (13-for-23) from the floor this season while sophomore guard
Maggie Guynn is just below the season average for CU at 45.5 percent (20-for-44). Lundy has increased her shooting percentage by nearly 20 percent from last season after shooting the ball at just 36.8 percent in 2018-19.
OUTSIDE THREAT
It had nearly been a year since Concord made 10 or more three-pointers before they canned 10 triples in the defeat against UVa.-Wise. The Mountain Lions last made double-digit three-pointers last December 19 when they hit on 11 three-pointers versus Davis & Elkins. Guynn and Lundy combined to go 6-for-10 from three-point range against UVa.-Wise while freshman guard
Ashton Funderburg hit her first two collegiate triples in the contest. Lundy enters the weekend second in the MEC in three-point percentage (50 percent / 10-for-20) and is tied for fifth in the league total three-pointers this season. The three-pointer was a big factor in CU's 77-71 overtime at Charleston last season as the Mountain Lions connected on eight triples with Lundy going a perfect a 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. Guynn hit her only three-point attempt of the game while May added a three-pointer on two attempts.
LET'S GET DEFENSIVE
While Concord possesses one of the best offenses in the MEC, the Mountain Lions and Charleston each have a stingy defense. CU is the only team in the league limiting teams to less than 40 percent shooting (36.3) while Charleston is third in field goal defense (42.4). The Golden Eagles are forcing 21.5 turnovers per game which is third best in conference. Part of the reason for the low shooting numbers for each team's opponents is the post play of Fitzwater and Charleston's Anna Hayton. Fitzwater leads the conference in blocks per game (5.0) while Hayton is second (2.0). In terms of steals, UC's Brooklyn Pannell is the MEC leader with 4.3 per game. In three games versus Charleston last season, Fitzwater had 18 blocks including eight in an MEC Tournament Semifinal loss.
HISTORY MADE
Speaking of Fitzwater and her block numbers, the Glenville, West Virginia native recorded the program's first-ever triple-double last season when she had 10 points, 20 rebounds and 11 blocks at West Virginia State on December 1 as Concord won 85-71. It was also Fitzwater's fourth career game with at least 20 rebounds. May went for a then, career-high 32 points before scoring 33 points to start this season against Seton Hill. Now-graduated guard
Emily Boothe nearly matched Fitzwater's triple-double with one of her own against West Virginia State on Senior Night last season as she had 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in a loss.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
40- In two losses to Charleston last season, CU shot 35 and 37 percent, but in the road win the Mountain Lions shot 40 percent.
46- Points May either scored or assisted on against UVa.-Wise.
50- Points in the paint by Concord in its win last season against West Virginia State.
CHARLESTON AT A GLANCE
The only loss for the Golden Eagles this season came against nationally-ranked California (Pa.), 78-73, to start the season. Hayton leads UC in points (21.0) and rebounds (9.0). Meanwhile, two other Charleston players average double-figure points: Dakota Reeves (12.3) and Megan Haines (11.5). Over the last 13 games—dating back to last season—the Golden Eagles have not allowed an opponent to score 80 points. Charleston is coming off a seven-point overtime win, 71-64, over non-conference foe Kentucky State. Going to the fourth quarter of that contest, UC trailed by seven.
WEST VIRGINIA STATE AT A GLANCE
WVSU is one of the most potent offenses in the MEC, leading the conference in scoring at 88.3 points per game. However, the Yellow Jackets are 11
th in field goal percentage (37.2). West Virginia State is the best offensive rebounding team in the conference, averaging over 17 per game, while also creating 22.7 turnovers per game. Payton Shears leads WVSU in scoring at 19.0 points per game while Destiny Fields and Charity Shears are each scoring 12.7 points per game. Like Charleston, the Yellow Jackets are coming off a win over Kentucky State after two losses to Livingstone and Winston-Salem State to start the season.
