Concord Stats -
West Virginia Wesleyan Stats -
Davis & Elkins Stats -
Live Stats -
Live Video -
Complete Game Notes
ATHENS, W.Va. - After coming back from a 19-point deficit against West Virginia State, the Concord University women's basketball team concludes its two-game homestand as it welcomes West Virginia Wesleyan 5:30 p.m. Wednesday before traveling to Davis & Elkins 2:00 p.m. Saturday in a pair of Mountain East Conference games.
Fans are not permitted at either games per MEC COVID-19 guidelines.
LIVE COVERAGE
Stats: Live in-game statistics will be provided of both games by the Concord University and Davis & Elkins College Sports Information Departments.
Video: Live streaming video will be available for both games. Jason Reed and
Steve Cox will be on the call for the game at the Carter Center.
RECORDS
CU evened its record at 1-1 with the win over the weekend.
West Virginia Wesleyan and Davis & Elkins have only been able to play one game, and both lost to Frostburg State to open their respective seasons.
COMEBACK KIDS
With just under seven minutes left in the third quarter, the Mountain Lions found themselves down 50-31, but roared back to capture a 70-67 victory over WVSU. By erasing the 19-point deficit to West Virginia State, it marked the third straight season that Concord has come back from a deficit of at least 15 points in a game with two of the three coming in the second half. Last February, the Maroon and Gray erased a 15-point first-quarter deficit against Glenville State to win 103-102. On the road at Notre Dame in February 2019, CU came back from 17 down (49-32) in the second half to win 85-76. On Sunday, junior guard
Maggie Guynn recorded her eighth career 20-point game by scoring 15 of her 20 points in the second half to help erase the WVSU lead.
RARE COMPANY
Senior forward
Riley Fitzwater recorded her 50
th career double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds versus West Virginia State. Fitzwater also added eight blocks as she flirted with her third career triple-double. The Glenville, West Virginia native is the active NCAA career leader—all divisions—in double-doubles. Additionally, Fitzwater is bearing down on 400 career blocks with 380 after Sunday's performance. She's aiming to become the only active player in the entire NCAA with career numbers of 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 400 blocks. Fitzwater trails only Lafayette's Natalie Kucowski in career rebounds. Kucowksi has 1,079 while Fitzwater has 1,040. Meanwhile, Fitzwater is 23 blocks ahead of BYU's Sara Hamson for the career active lead.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW
Freshmen guards
Maddie Ratcliff and
Jaisah Smith have made an immediate impact in their first two games as Mountain Lions. Smith posted six points and a team-best five assists against Charleston. Smith is tied for ninth in the MEC in steals per game (2.5) and tied for 10
th in assists per game (3.5). After five points at Charleston, Ratcliff came off the bench to provide 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting, three assists and a block in the win over West Virginia State. In terms of minutes played through two games, Smith only trails Fitzwater for the team lead as she has played 48 in two games.
BLOCK PARTY
Paced by Fitzwater's 13 blocks in two games, Concord ranks first in NCAA Division II in blocks per game with 9.5. However, senior forward
Tamra Scott came up with two second-half blocks versus West Virginia State. Sophomore guard
Jazz Blankenship, senior guard
Keely Lundy, sophomore forward
Alexis Phillips and Ratcliff all have one block on the season. Because of the rim protection, Concord leads the MEC in field-goal percentage defense at 31.4, including holding West Virginia State to 27.2 percent over the weekend. In the last six meetings, the Mountain Lions have held WVWC to 35 percent or less shooting—all Concord wins.
ROLLING ON
In the last two meetings at the Carter Center, Concord has defeated West Virginia Wesleyan by 30 and 27 points, respectively. Last season, Fitzwater had a double-double versus the Bobcats at home with 10 points and 13 rebounds. In December 2018, Concord won 78-51 over WVWC as Fitzwater led the scoring with 21 points, and Lundy had one of her 12 career double-digit scoring games with 10 points and five rebounds. While CU has been comfortable at home, the last two games at West Virginia Wesleyan have been decided by a combined 10 points.
BIG BATTLE
Saturday's game will be a matchup of two of the best post players in the MEC in Fitzwater and Davis & Elkins' Jamiyah Johnson. In a 73-72 loss to Frostburg State, Johnson had 20 points and seven rebounds. Last season, Johnson led Division II in double-doubles with 26. However, Johnson had to work for her 14 points and 13 rebounds in the first meeting against Fitzwater as she shot just 6-of-18 from the field with Fitzwater blocking five of Johnson's shot attempts. At Davis & Elkins, Scott went up against Johnson as Fitzwater battled foul trouble. Scott matched her season high with 12 points and added six rebounds against Johnson.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
2- With her 12 rebounds against WVSU, Fitzwater tied
Jolysa Brown for second on the all-time rebounding list at Concord with 1,040
4- Junior guard
Gracie Robinson and Smith have had four-steal games to start the season. Robinson at UC and Smith on Sunday.
13- Concord held Davis & Elkins to 13 second-half points in the first meeting last season in an 82-47 win.
WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN AT A GLANCE
The Bobcats' first game was postponed against Fairmont State after the Fighting Falcons followed COVID-19 protocols. Three different Wesleyan players finished in double figures in a 66-63 setback against Frostburg State. Malaika Kimmons and Brittany Stawovy each had 11 while Symphonie Bryant-Brown had 10 points. WVWC was able to hold Frostburg State to 38.5 percent shooting, but was only able to shoot 33.3 percent (25-for-75).
DAVIS & ELKINS AT A GLANCE
Along with Johnson's 20 points, Marissa Berlin (11 points) and Amiah Banks (10 points) also finished in double figures in the season opener on Thursday. The Senators had their game with Fairmont State postponed. Even with Johnson patrolling the paint, Davis & Elkins was minus-10 on the boards with Frostburg State owning a 52-42 advantage. Davis & Elkins did force 25 turnovers versus Frostburg State.
