Concord Seeks to Extend Win Streak in Road Contest at Salem

Concord Stats – Salem Stats – Live Video – Live Stats – Complete Game Notes
 
ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University women's basketball team travels to T. Edwards Davis Gymnasium on the back of a three-game winning streak to face Salem in a non-conference matchup at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The Salem University Sports Information Department will provide live video and statistics for the game.
 
LIVE VIDEO
 
LIVE STATS
 
SERIES HISTORY: Concord leads 14-8
 
LAST FIVE MEETINGS AGAINST SALEM
January 31, 2022: Concord 96 – Salem 71 (Athens, W.Va.)
December 18, 2019: Concord 73 – Salem 62 (Salem, W.Va.)
January 3, 2019: Concord 90 – Salem 73 (Athens, W.Va.)
January 15, 2018: Concord 81 – Salem 61 (Salem, W.Va.)
February 9, 2009: Concord 96 – Salem 38 (Salem, W.Va.)
 
CONCORD AT A GLANCE
2023-24 Record: 3-2
MEC Record: 2-0
Home Record: 2-0
Away Record: 1-1
Neutral Record: 0-1
 
UPSET SPECIAL
CU's upset victory over 13^th ranked West Virginia State last Tuesday was the program's first win over a ranked opponent in its last eight tries. The win also marked the first victory over a ranked team for second-year head coach Tesla Southcott. The last time the Mountain Lions took down a ranked opponent was February 20, 2021 when they defeated third-ranked Charleston at the Carter Center. Tuesday's victory over the Yellow Jackets is the first road win over a ranked opponent for Concord since at least the 2007-08 season.
 
LOCKED IN
To defeat WVSU back on Tuesday, CU held the Yellow Jackets to just 24.4 percent shooting from the floor and 11.4 percent shooting from three-point range. The Mountain Lions have held opponents under 35 percent shooting from the floor to fuel a three-game win streak after starting the season 0-2 and allowing opponents to shoot over 40 percent. West Virginia State's 24.4 field goal percentage is the lowest allowed by CU since the 2022-23 season opener against Clarion (24.1 percent) and the 11.4 three-point percentage is the lowest since December of 2021 when Concord held Frostburg State to 11.1 percent beyond the arc.
 
SHINING STAR
For the second time in her career, senior guard Jaisah Smith was named Mountain East Conference Player of the Week. Smith led CU with 20 points in its upset win at West Virginia State. In the game, Smith shot 8-for-12 from the floor and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line. The Bluefield, W.Va. native has scored 20 points in two of five games this season and is second on the team averaging 12.8 points per game. Smith is also tied for the team lead coming away with 1.6 steals per game.
 
PASSING LANES
Salem heads into Wednesday's contest with a strong identity of moving the ball on offense. The Tigers are averaging 13.2 assists per game this season. George Mason transfer Teodora Popovic leads SU with 3.5 assists per game, followed by sophomore guard Carine Pinkney averaging 3.2 assists per game. Four other Tigers contribute at least one assist per game to spark their offensive scheme. On the other side, Concord ranks fourth in the MEC taking away 10.0 steals per game. CU has racked up double-digit steals in three of five games this season. Five Mountain Lions average over one steal per game with junior guard/forward Deja Atkinson, graduate forward Alexis Phillips, and Smith splitting the team lead of 1.6 steals per game.
 
HOT HAND
The Concord women's basketball team holds a six-game win streak over Salem dating back to the 2008-09 season. A big part in the Mountain Lions success over the Tigers has been their offensive attack. CU has shot at least 50 percent from the floor in two of the last three meetings against SU. When the Mountain Lions hosted the Tigers in 2019, CU posted a 57.1 shooting percentage, their sixth highest across the past four seasons. Additionally, Concord has scored at least 80 points in four of the last five matchups.
 
PREVIOUS MATCHUPS
CU and Salem have only met twice over the last four seasons, with Concord coming away with victories in both games. The last time the Mountain Lions met the Tigers, graduate guard Jazz Blankenship, senior guard Maddie Ratcliff, and Smith all scored in double digits. In her two career games against Salem, Blankenship is 6-for-13 (46.1 percent) from three-point range. Smith scored 12 points and hauled in nine rebounds in the January 2022 meeting. In the same game, CU shot an even 50 percent from the floor. Graduate guard Nakaila Gray had 11 points and went 7-for-8 from the charity stripe in the December 2019 game.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
6 – Current win streak over Salem

29 – Rebounding margin in favor of CU during its three-game win streak

39 – Mountain Lions bench points the last time they faced the Tigers
 
SALEM AT A GLANCE
2023-24 Record: 1-5
Home Record: 1-1
Away Record: 0-2
Neutral Record: 0-2
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Salem sports a trio of double-digit scorers in Popovic (13.2 points per game), sophomore forward Elena Pericic (10.7 points per game), and senior forward Anete Bluma (10.2 points per game). Popovic is tied for 38^th across Division II knocking down 2.8 three-point shots per game. She also leads the team averaging 3.5 assists per game. Sophomore guard Anna Machytkova leads the Tigers collecting 1.4 steals per game and averages one block per game. First year head coach Nikayla Edgell brought in a lot of new faces, as 12 of 19 players were not on last year's roster.