Concord Battles Top-10 Ranked West Liberty at Home

Concord Stats - West Liberty Stats - Live Stats - Live Video - Complete Game Notes

ATHENS, W.Va. - The Concord University men's basketball team welcomes ninth-ranked West Liberty to the Carter Center for a Mountain East Conference clash 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

LIVE COVERAGE
The Concord University Sports Information Department will have live in-game statistics and live streaming video of the matchup. 

Live Stats
Live Video

SERIES HISTORY: West Liberty leads 39-24

LAST FIVE MEETINGS
February 12, 2022: West Liberty 107 - Concord 86 (Athens, W.Va.)
January 5, 2022: West Liberty 85 - Concord 67 (West Liberty, W.Va.)
March 5, 2021: West Liberty 102 - Concord 68 (Wheeling, W.Va.)
January 20, 2021: Conord 91 - West Liberty 83 (Athens, W.Va.)
March 6, 2020: West Liberty 100 - Concord 85 (Wheeling, W.Va.)

CONCORD AT A GLANCE
Overall Record: 7-3
MEC Record: 4-2
Home Record: 2-1
Away Record: 5-1
Neutral Record:0-1

HIGH FIVE
The Mountain Lions carry a five-game winning streak into play Wednesday night—the longest win streak since winning seven in a row during November and December 2018. Three of the five wins have been decided by five points or less. However, CU's latest win came by 11 points, 93-82, at Frostburg State December 10 as Concord registered a season high in scoring. Junior guard JJ Harper is averaging 14 points per game while shooting 55 percent (22-for-40) over the last five contests. Graduate guard Lual Daniel Rahama is netting 15.6 points per game while grabbing 8.2 rebounds per game in his last five games. CU has shot at least 44 percent from the field in all five games while holding each opponent under 44 percent.

HEATING UP
In the first five games of the year, Concord made more than five three-pointers just twice. However, during its five-game winning streak, the Maroon and Gray has averaged 7.6 three-pointers per game while shooting 43.1 percent from three-point range. In their last home game, an 86-83 win over nationally-ranked Fairmont State, the Mountain Lions connected on 12 three-pointers on just 18 attempts. Senior guard Ethan Heller and sophomore forward Amare Smith both hit four three-pointers while Harper added three triples. Heller is 7-of-17 from three-point distance in the last four games. Harper has made eight of his last 11 attempts from beyond the arc and Smith is 7-for-11 from three-point range in the last two games.

PRECIOUS POSSESSIONS
In the face of Fairmont State's pressure, CU only committed 10 turnovers. However, Concord was a bit more loose with the ball at Frostburg State as it turned the ball over 26 times. West Liberty's 40-minute, full-court pressure is averaging 20 turnovers per game from the opponent while the Hilltoppers rank seventh in Division II with 10.8 steals per game. Last year, Concord turned the ball over 17 times at West Liberty, and had 15 turnovers at home versus the Hilltoppers. The Mountain Lions are 4-2 this season when they turn the ball over fewer than 15 times. The Maroon and Gray is one of seven teams in the MEC averaging fewer than 15 turnovers per game (14.2).

BE THE HAMMER
A big reason for Concord's winning streak has been its work on the glass. The Mountain Lions have the best rebounding margin in the MEC at 6.1 which is also top 40 in Division II. During the five-game winning streak, CU has won the rebounding battle four times as it is averaging better than seven more rebounds per game (43.6-36.4) during the win streak. Rahama has grabbed at least eight rebounds in eight of 10 games this season. Senior forward Jevon Laidler is averaging six rebounds per contest over the last five. West Liberty is third in the MEC with a +4.4 rebounding margin. A strength of WLU over the years has been its ability to jump on the offensive glass. The Hilltoppers are averaging 13.9 offensive boards per game, but CU is third in the MEC with 13.5 offensive rebounds per contest. Rahama gets 2.3 offensive rebounds per game while WLU's Bryce Butler collects 2.2 offensive rebounds per game, fifth and seventh in the MEC.

CLOSING OUT
Concord's stifling three-point defense will be put to the test Wednesday night from a West Liberty team that is second in Division II in made three-pointers per game, 12.2. West Liberty is shooting 36 percent from three-point distance as a team with Christian Montage (48.1 percent), Zach Rasile (41.3 percent) and Steve Cannady (40.4 percent) all shooting at least 40 percent from deep. WLU has made at least 40 percent of its three-pointers four times this season. However, Concord has only allowed opponents to shoot better than 40 percent from three-point distance eight times in the last 57 games. CU is sixth in the MEC in three-point defense (33.2 percent).

ANATOMY OF AN UPSET
In seven season under head coach Todd May, the Mountain Lions have upset West Liberty twice at the Carter Center—February 2017 and January 2021. Both times WLU was ranked in the top five. A couple commonalities that has fueled the upsets. Both times Concord has outrebounded the Hilltoppers, most recently 33-26 two years ago. And in those games, Concord has held WLU to 13 or fewer offensive rebounds. CU has also been efficient from three-point range (16-for-39) in the two games, and has averaged 44 points in the paint, including 38 in 2021. The only current Mountain Lions to play in a game where CU defeated West Liberty are fifth-year senior forward Da'Vion Moore and junior guard Jordan Wooden. The duo combined for 10 points and eight rebounds two years ago. Wooden, as a freshman, played 28 minutes.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
2.6- Combined blocks per game from Harper and Laidler as the duo is tied for fourth in the MEC in blocks (1.3).

64.7- Combined field goal percentage by Heller (4-8) and Rahama (7-9) in last year's home game against WLU.

84- Points needed by Heller to reach 1,000 for his career.

WEST LIBERTY AT A GLANCE
Overall Record: 11-1
MEC Record: 6-0
Home Record: 6-0
Away Record: 4-0
Neutral Record: 1-1

SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
The only loss for West Liberty this season came in Las Vegas against Lubbock Christian December 17. The Hilltoppers have won their six conference games by an average of 27.1 points with only West Virginia State able to stay within 15 points in a 91-89 win for WLU. Butler leads the MEC in scoring (23.1) as he shoots 62.5 percent from the floor, second in the conference. He has gone over 25 points six times this year, including a 33-point night on 12-for-15 shooting versus West Virginia State. He opened the season with back-to-back 30-point games versus Shepherd and California (Pa.). Head coach Ben Howlett's next win at WLU will be his 140^th as he has won 86 percent of his games, going 139-22 in six-plus seasons at West Liberty. Last year at the Carter Center, WLU only led Concord 45-41 at halftime before winning 107-86.