Concord Stats -
West Liberty Stats -
Wheeling Stats -
Live Stats -
Live Video -
Complete Game Notes
ATHENS, W.Va. - The Concord University women's basketball team begins 2022 with a road date against West Liberty 5:30 p.m. Wednesday before returning to the Carter Center to face Wheeling 2:00 p.m. Saturday in a pair of Mountain East Conference games.
LIVE COVERAGE
Stats: The West Liberty and Concord Sports Information Departments will provide live in-game statistics of both games.
Video: Live streaming video will be available from both the CU and WLU Sports Information Departments.
RECORDS
The Mountain Lions are 7-4 this season and 3-3 versus MEC foes.
West Liberty has won three straight games and is 9-3 this year with a 4-2 mark against the MEC.
Wheeling is 2-8 overall with both wins coming in the league as it sports a 2-4 MEC record.
DEFENSIVE MINDSET
CU went 1-1 during its stay in Hawaii as it knocked off Hawaii Pacific, 60-47, before falling to nationally-ranked Alaska-Anchorage 69-41. The Mountain Lions held both teams below 40 percent shooting including limiting HPU to 26.2 percent. In four of the six games to close out the 2021 portion of the schedule, Concord held opponents to less than 40 percent shooting. In the win over Hawaii Pacific, it also marked the third time this season that Concord has held an opponent to less than 50 points—the most such instances since 2011-12. CU ranks first in the MEC in field-goal defense (35.1 percent) and second in the MEC in scoring defense (65.8 points). WLU is one of four teams in the conference scoring at least 80 points per game, but in the last meeting with the Hilltoppers Concord held WLU to a season-low 56 points in a 68-56 win last season at the Carter Center.
GUARDING THE BOARDS
Some of the best rebounding guards in the MEC will be on display Wednesday night at West Liberty. WLU's Audrey Tingle ranks third in the MEC in rebounds per game as she is pulling down 10.8 per game while scoring 13.6 points and handing out 6.2 assists per contest. In the win over Hawaii Pacific for Concord, the Maroon and Gray owned a 51-37 advantage on the glass. Fifth-year senior forward
Riley Fitzwater notched 13 rebounds, but the first 50-rebound game of the season was aided by sophomore guard
Jaisah Smith tying a career high with eight boards and junior guard
Ashton Funderburg ripping down a career-best six rebounds while also tallying a season-high six points. Smith is averaging 5.0 rebounds in her last four games. Meanwhile, senior guard
Gracie Robinson is averaging 4.7 rebounds per game in her last three games versus West Liberty.
BATTLE OF THE BIGS
The 2021 All-American Fitzwater will see some stiff competition this week against West Liberty's Arianna Manzay and Wheeling's Lauren Calhoun. Fitzwater is leading the MEC in both field goal percentage (68.9 percent) and blocks per game (3.4) while ranking second in rebounds (12.5). Her 14.6 points per game are eighth in the MEC this season. Manzay is averaging 12.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game while shooting 62.5 percent from the floor. Earlier this season, Manzay was 11-for-11 from the floor in a win over Ohio Dominican. Calhoun, the MEC's leading scorer at 17.9 points, is replacing WU All-American Lilly Ritz who transferred to Youngstown State. Calhoun is one of four players in the MEC averaging a double-double as she grabs 10 rebounds per contest and is shooting 55 percent from the floor. In a head-to-head matchup last season, Fitzwater got the better of Manzay with 30 points and 15 rebounds. Manzay had 13 points and four rebounds.
GAINING MOMENTUM
West Liberty leads the all-time series with Concord 29-8 since the two schools became Division II members in 1993. However, the Mountain Lions have been shrinking the gap lately as they have won four straight over WLU and five of the last seven. Fitzwater has had a double-double in six of seven career games versus the Hilltoppers and is averaging 15.7 points and 15.4 rebounds per game. CU has won the last two times in its visit to the ASRC, 79-68 in January 2019 and 94-84 in February 2020. Though Fitzwater poured in 30 points in the win over West Liberty last season, a big reason for Concord's victory was the defense of Funderburg and Robinson who held Tingle to one point and forced the WLU point guard into eight turnovers.
SEEKING REVENGE
CU was swept by Wheeling last season as the Cardinals won the regular-season meeting 69-60 before a late Ritz three-pointer forced overtime in the MEC Tournament and WU went onto win 77-72 in the extra session. Fitzwater (21 points, 12 rebounds) and senior guard
Maggie Guynn (10 points, 14 rebounds) both produced double-doubles in the regular-season contest. Fitzwater and Guynn both had 14 points in the MEC Tournament. Sophomore guard
Maddie Ratcliff chipped in an average of 8.5 points per game in two contests off the bench. Concord held Wheeling to 35 percent or less shooting in both games last season. It was the first time the Cardinals swept CU since 2016-17.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
1- Guynn recorded her first career double-double against Wheeling last season.
11- Junior forward
Alexis Phillips netted a career-high 11 points in both games in Hawaii.
70- Fitzwater's next double-double will be her 70
th career.
WEST LIBERTY AT A GLANCE
The three-game winning streak for the Hilltoppers has come against non-conference foes Ohio Dominican, Bluefield State and Malone. Going back to last year, West Liberty is 15-6 in its last 21 games. One of the front runners for MEC Freshman of the Year, Bailee Smith, is the leading scorer for the Hilltoppers at 14.5 points. One of the most balanced teams in the conference, four other players average in double figures: Tingle (13.6), Corinne Thomas (13.4), Manzay (12.9) and Karley McCutcheon (12.4). Thomas is also knocking in 41 percent of her three-pointers on the season. The Hilltoppers are third in the MEC in three-pointers per game (8.2).
WHEELING AT A GLANCE
Former Duquesne assistant coach Matt Schmidt is in his first year at Wheeling. The inside play of Calhoun is paired with the sharp shooting of Shanley Woods who is averaging 12.3 points per game and is shooting 40.3 percent from three-point range. Shamia Strayhorn is scoring right at 10 points per game. The lone road win for Wheeling this season was a lopsided 82-54 victroy at Davis & Elkins. The Cardinals are giving up the second-most points in the MEC at 76.9 per game.
