Concord Stats -
Wheeling Stats -
West Liberty Stats -
Live Stats -
Live Video -
Complete Game Notes
ATHENS, W.Va. - The Concord University women's basketball team returns to the Carter Center to face Wheeling 5:30 p.m. Wednesday before heading back out on the road to take on West Liberty 2:00 p.m. Saturday in two Mountain East Conference games.
LIVE COVERAGE
Stats: Live in-game statistics of the games involving will be provided courtesy of the sports information departments at Concord and West Liberty
Video: Live streaming video is also available for both games this week. Topper Station's Todd Ullom and Shawn Rine will have the call at West Liberty
RECORDS
CU starts the week with a mark of 14-8 overall and is 10-6 in the MEC.
Wheeling has won four of its last five games and is now 8-13 overall and 8-8 in the league.
West Liberty sits at 9-13 overall, but is 5-11 against MEC foes.
SHREDDING THE NETS
After falling to Frostburg State last Thursday, Concord bounced back in a big way as it shot 64.9 percent (37-for-57) from the floor in an 89-72 win at Fairmont State Saturday. The shooting percentage just missed the all-time MEC single-game record of 65.1 percent set by Shepherd last season at West Virginia State. Several Mountain Lions contributed to the hot shooting led by
Riley Fitzwater going 11-of-13 from the field. Sophomore guard
Maggie Guynn made six of her eight attempts, including both three-pointers going down for her. Junior guard
Keely Lundy sank 6-of-7 shots as she finished with a career-best 15 points. Sophomore guard
Gracie Robinson was 3-for-5 from the field and freshman guard
Jazz Blankenship nailed 3-of-4 attempts from the floor. Saturday was the third time this season—all three on the road—that CU has shot 60 percent or better in a game, at Glenville State and at West Virginia State are the other two.
EASY LOOKS
Part of Concord's shooting performance was its willingness to share the ball as the Mountain Lions posted 23 assists on 37 made field goals. Additionally, the Mountain Lions finished the game with 50 points in the paint. Senior forward
Madison May notched seven assists as she became the fifth player in program history to go over 300 career assists. Guynn tied her career best with another five assists. The only time CU has had more assists in a game this season was when it dished out 30 in the victory at West Virginia State. The Mountain Lions rank in the top 50 nationally in assists per game with 15.5.
INTERIOR SHOWDOWN
Wednesday's contest will feature a battle between two of the best post players, not only in the MEC, but in the entire country. Concord's Fitzwater is first in Division II in field-goal percentage (68.6) second in blocks per game (4.1) and 11
th in rebounds per contest (11.5). Wheeling counters with Lilly Ritz who leads Division II in rebounds (15.6 per game) and is 16
th in field-goal percentage (58.4). Ritz is coming off a 23-point, 36-rebound performance against West Virginia State in which she tied the all-time Division II single-game mark for rebounds. Though Wheeling won the first meeting this season, 64-58, Fitzwater and junior forward
Tamra Scott forced Ritz into a 7-for-18 shooting night (38.8 percent) as she finished with 14 points, 17 rebounds and eight blocks. Fitzwater had 13 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks.
MARCH TO THE LINE
Earlier this season when CU defeated West Liberty, 83-71, the Mountain Lions had their best free-throw shooting night of the season by going 26-of-30 at the charity stripe (86.7 percent). May paced the effort at the foul line by sinking all 16 attempts, including eight of those in the final 1:06 of the game. May's 16 made free throws are second most in a Division II game this season without a miss behind Maryville's Mary Barton who was 19-for-19 against McKendree. Though it shot just eight free throws at Fairmont State, CU is coming off back-to-back games where it has made at least 75 percent at the charity stripe including 76.2 percent (16-for-21) at Frostburg State. May was 7-of-7 at Frostburg State while Guynn hit 6-of-8 at the foul line.
RUNNING THEM OFF THE LINE
The Mountain Lions face one of the best three-point shooting teams in the MEC when it takes on West Liberty. The Hilltoppers enter the week second in the league with 11 three-pointers made per game which is also third in Division II. Earlier this season, WLU made 11 triples at Concord, but it also attempted 33 three-pointers—more than half of its 60 total field goal tries. At Fairmont State, against a a FSU team that shoots 36.3 percent from beyond the arc and make nine three-pointers per game, Concord held the Fighting Falcons to five three-pointers and 35.7 percent. This season, CU is holding opponents to 31.4 percent from behind the arc.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
10- Career high in rebounds for Robinson in the first meeting against Wheeling, part of her first career double-double (16 points).
18- Points needed by May to reach 1,600 for her career
27- Combined rebounds by Fitzwater and May, more than West Liberty's team total of 21 in the first game this season.
WHEELING AT A GLANCE
To go along with 15.6 rebounds per game, Ritz is the third-leading scorer in the MEC at 20.6 points per game, and also averages 2.1 blocks per contest. Khira Burton is scoring 14.6 points per game while Taliah Cashwell averages 11.8 points per game. In the win over CU in January, Cashwell threw in a game-best 22 points. Over the last five games, the Cardinals are averaging 76.4 points per game which is 10 points higher than their season average. Wheeling has won just two games away from home this season, road victories at West Virginia State and West Virginia Wesleyan.
WEST LIBERTY AT A GLANCE
Morgan Brunner leads the three-point barrage for the Hilltoppers with 4.0 three-pointers made per game, second in Division II. Earlier this season, CU limited Brunner to 2-of-8 from beyond the arc. Taylor Johnson scores 17.7 points per game and is coming off a 22-point performance against Charleston. The third and final double-digit scorer for WLU is Olivia Belknap at 10.3 points per game. Point guard Audrey Tingle is 17
th in Division II in assists per game (5.3), but also leads West Liberty in rebounding (7.7 per game). Normally a tough place to play, West Liberty is just 5-8 at home this season.
