Concord Travels to Gannon's Gary Miller Classic Friday and Saturday

Concord Stats - Saint Michael's Stats - Gannon Stats - D'Youville Stats - Live Stats - Live Video

ATHENS, W.Va. - The Concord University men's basketball team travels to Erie, Pennsylvania for the 37^th Annual Gary Miller Classic hosted by Gannon Friday and Saturday as CU faces Saint Michael's 5:30 p.m. Friday before taking on either Gannon or D'Youville Saturday night.

LIVE COVERAGE
Stats: The Gannon Sports Information Department will provide live in-game statistics of this weekend's games. 
Video: Gannon will also have live streaming video of the tournament. 

RECORDS
Concord is 1-3 this season after a loss at Charleston to open Mountain East Conference play.

Saint Michael's is 2-1 after winning its first two games.

SIX-PACKING SCORING
Heading into the weekend, CU has six players averaging at least six points this season led by fifth-year senior forward Lual Daniel Rahama and fifth-year senior guard Matt Weir both scoring 16.3 points per game. Junior guard Ethan Heller is pouring in 14.3 points per game. Senior forward Da'Vion Moore is scoring 8.5 points per game while sophomore guard Dorian Groggs (7.8 points) and sophomore forward Luken Hill (6.5 points) are combining to score 14.3 points per game despite having not started a game. Despite not having a scorer in the top 10 of the MEC this season, the Mountain Lions are just one of two teams—the other West Liberty—in the conference with three top-20 scorers. Weir and Rahama are tied for 12^th while Heller is 18^th in the MEC in scoring.

TRIPLE THREAT
CU hit nine three-pointers in its game at Charleston. The Maroon and Gray have made at least eight three-pointers in all four games this season and have shot at least 36 percent from beyond the arc in each game. Rahama and Weir combined to make five of the eight three-pointers at UC. Concord's 38.8 percent from three-point range ranks second in the MEC this season while its 11.3 makes per game from three-point distance is first in the conference. Heller and senior guard Brandon Kennedy are closing in on milestone three-pointers. Heller needs three triples to reach 100 for his career while Kennedy is six shy of 100 for his career. Previously, 26 players in program history have reached 100 career made three-pointers with Malik Johnson (2017-21) being the most recent.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Concord's three-point rate will be put to the test on Friday as Saint Michael's is limiting opponents to shoot just 28 percent from three-point range. However, the Purple Knights are allowing eight made three-pointers per game this season. The Mountain Lions have been equally as stingy against opponents making three-pointers in the first four games of the season. CU gives up just 26.5 percent from beyond the arc this season and held Pitt-Johnstown and IUP to below 25 percent from three-point range to begin the season. Over the last three seasons, a span of 49 games, Concord has limited teams to 30 percent or less from three-point range 19 times. Saint Michael's is shooting just 21.6 percent from deep this season.

HERE TO HELP
Concord was held to a season-low eight assists at Charleston, but the Mountain Lions are still handing out an average of 16.0 assists per game this season. CU is fourth in the conference in assists per game while it has also done a stellar job of taking care of the ball with an assist-to-turnover rate of 0.98, also fourth in the MEC. Individually, Weir is first in the MEC in assists per game (5.5) with Heller ranking in a tie for ninth (3.8). Weir's 2.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio is sixth in the conference. Saint Michael's is allowing opponents to assist on 61 percent of field goals this season and is giving up 14.3 assists per game.

UNLIKELY PAIRING
Over 800 miles separate Concord and the Colchester, Vermont-based campus of Saint Michael's. When the teams tip the game off Friday night, Gannon's campus will be about the halfway mark for both schools. Concord will travel just under 400 miles to Erie while Saint Michael's will mark off 460 miles to play this weekend. Not only will Friday be the first all-time meeting between CU and SMC, it will be the first time Concord plays a team north of New York in program history. Regardless of matchup Saturday, it will also be the first time Concord plays either D'Youville, based out of Buffalo, New York, or Gannon in program history.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
8- Assists needed by Weir to become the first player in three seasons with 30 assists in a five-game span.

12- Heller has scored in double figures in 12 of his last 13 games, dating back to last season.

71.2- Free-throw percentage for CU this season after shooting just 66 percent last year.

SAINT MICHAEL'S AT A GLANCE
The Purple Knights won a pair of games by 10 points each to start the season before dropping a 72-69 decision in the Northeast-10 opener to Stonehill. Patrick Gardner leads SMC by averaging a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds per game. Gardner is also shooting 51.4 percent from the field this season. Kasai Brown is scoring 13.7 points per game, despite not starting any of the three games so far for Saint Michael's. The Purple Knights are shooting just 39 percent from the field this season, but limit opponents to 36.3 percent.

THE TOURNAMENT FIELD AT A GLANCE
Gannon has only played two games this season, an 80-76 loss to Ashland, and a 90-80 win over Saginaw Valley State. In his only game this season, Lance-Amir Paul scored 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting versus SVSU. The Golden Knights are shooting 51.7 percent from the field through two games. Gannon sported a record of 10-4 last season, and went 14-13 in its last full season of games two years ago.

D'Youville is 1-3, having given up 100 or more points in the three defeats. The Saints defeated Bryant & Stratton, 90-81, but most recently lost by 48 points to nationally-ranked Mercyhurst, 104-56. Jared Sullivan is scoring 12.3 points per game while shooting 63 percent from the field. Garrian Wade and Grant Beyer also score in double figures. This year is the second season for the Saints in Division II after being a longtime member of Division III.