Concord Faces Tough Tests Against IUP, Pitt-Johnstown to Open Season

Concord Stats - IUP Stats - Pitt-Johnstown Stats - Live Stats - Live Video - Complete Game Notes

ATHENS, W.Va. - The Concord University men's basketball team opens up the 2023-24 season with a pair of stern challenges in facing nationally-ranked Indiana (Pa.) 7:30 p.m. Friday and Pitt-Johnstown 5:30 p.m. Saturday with both games at IUP's Kovalchick Arena.

LIVE COVERAGE
The Indiana (Pa.) Sports Information Department will have live in-game statistics and live video of the games this weekend. 

Live Stats
Live Video

SERIES HISTORY vs. Indiana (Pa.): IUP leads 6-0
SERIES HISTORY vs. Pitt-Johnstown: UPJ leads 9-4

LAST FIVE MEETINGS VERSUS INDIANA (PA.)
November 12 2022: Indiana (Pa.) 77 - Concord 60 (Clarion, Pa.)
November 13, 2021: Indiana (Pa.) 98 - Concord 78 (Indiana, Pa.)
November 9, 2019: Indiana (Pa.) 80 - Concord 73 (Indiana, Pa.)
November 9, 2018: Indiana (Pa.) 83 - Concord 72 (Indiana, Pa.)
November 29, 2002: Indiana Pa. 77 - Concord 73 (Bluefield, W.Va.)

LAST FIVE MEETINGS VERSUS PITT-JOHNSTOWN
November 12, 2021: Pitt-Johnstown 96 - Concord 91 (OT) (Indiana, Pa.)
November 8, 2019: Concord 79 - Pitt-Johnstown 76 (Indiana, Pa.)
November 10, 2018: Concord 81 - Pitt-Johnstown 72 (Indiana, Pa.)
February 26, 2013: Pitt-Johnstown 92 - Concord 82 (Athens, W.Va.)
November 17, 2012: Concord 86 - Pitt-Johnstown 72 (Athens, W.Va.)

CONCORD AT A GLANCE
2022-23 Overall Record: 15-15
MEC Record: 10-12
Home Record: 7-5
Away Record: 7-8
Neutral Record: 1-2

RUN AND GUN
Concord finished last season averaging 83.2 points per game which was the 18^th-highest scoring season in program history which is more than 100 years into existence. It was third season in seven under head coach Todd May that the Mountain Lions scored at least 83 points in a season. Over the last 12 games of the season, Concord scored 85.7 points per game. Other offensive marks for the Maroon and Gray last winter included CU making 918 field goals and 214 three-pointers, both 13^th in program history for a single season. Of the 83.2 points per game scored last year, Concord returns 57.8 percent of that scoring to this season, or just over 48 points per game.

NEW LEADERS
The Mountain Lions do have to replace a pair of 1,000-point scorers in Ethan Heller and Daniel Rahama from last season. Heller was the most experienced CU player having played in 100 career games before graduating while Rahama finished his final season by averaging a double-double of 17.4 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game. Senior guard JJ Harper will be counted on after being an All-MEC Second Team selection. He averaged 14.7 points per game and shot just under 44 percent from the floor. Harper averaged 17.3 points per game in the final 12 games of the season. Fifth-year senior forward Jevon Laidler netted 11.5 points per game and finished the season second on the team in rebounds (5.5). Laidler hit on 45.7 percent of his shots.

WELCOME BACK
As the new season begins, May and the team is preparing to re-insert sophomore guard Kollin Tolbert and senior guard Jordan Wooden into full time roles. Wooden, the most experienced current CU player with 69 games played, was reduced to 16 games last winter after a season-ending injury in January. However, the Roanoke, Virginia native averaged 9.5 points per game and grabbed 3.9 rebounds. Before the injury, Wooden scored 10 or more points in six of seven games. Tolbert played in just 10 games last year, but poured in 6.7 points per game off the bench, including a team-best 24 points in an overtime win versus Ohio Dominican. Tolbert also shot 56.4 percent from the field in limited action.

RIM PROTECTION
Concord blocked 139 shots last year which was the most in team history in nearly 30 years when the 1994-95 squad swatted 154 shots. Among returning players in the Mountain East Conference, Laidler ranks second in the conference in blocks per game (1.2) from last year while Harper (1.1) is third. The pair combined to block 70 shots last year. Of the 154 blocks by CU last year, the team returns 97 of those blocks. Sophomore forward Rene Diop notched 20 blocks last season. Concord recorded 14 games of five or more blocks.

RECORD WATCH
As May begins his eighth season on the sidelines in charge of Concord men's basketball, he is closing in on 100 career wins. May needs two wins to reach the milestone. Once reaching 100 career wins, May will be just one of five coaches in the MEC to reach 100 career wins, joining West Liberty's Ben Howlett, Fairmont State's Tim Koenig, Charleston's Dwaine Osborne and West Virginia State's Bryan Poore. Laidler is CU's active leading scorer with 583 points, and would need a slight uptick in production to reach 1,000 career points. He scored 344 points while playing all 30 games last season. Averaging 11.5 points per game, Laidler would need to score 13.9 points per game over a 30-game season this year to reach 1,000.

BEST OF THE BEST
The Mountain Lions have become no stranger to opening the season versus Indiana (Pa.) who is ranked fourth in the nation after finishing last year at 32-2 and advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Crimson Hawks spent most of the season ranked in the top five and even rose to number one for a short time. Friday night will be the fourth time in the last five seasons that CU plays IUP. In each instance, the Crimson Hawks have been ranked in the top 20 of the national poll, including number three last season. Harper scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds in last year's game as IUP won 77-60 after Concord led 35-30 at halftime. Two years ago at IUP, the Crimson Hawks nabbed a 98-78 win.

HELLO, OLD FRIEND
Concord and Pitt-Johnstown met annually between 2005-13 as members of the WVIAC. After a lengthy time between all-time meetings, the teams opened the year against one another in 2018, 2019 and 2021. CU has won two of the last three meetings with UPJ, but is 4-9 all-time against the Mountain Cats. In 2019, Concord won 79-76 while the 2021 meeting went to Pitt-Johnstown in overtime, 96-91. The Mountain Lions canned 16 three-pointers in the 2021 game, but were held to 38.8 percent shooting. UPJ hit on 44 percent of its shots in the victory.  

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
9- Games of multiple blocks by Laidler in 2022-23.

17- Points that has decided the last three games between Concord and UPJ.

34- Shooting percentage that Concord held IUP to in the first half of last year's game.

IUP AT A GLANCE
2022-23 Overall Record: 32-2
PSAC Record: 21-1
Home Record: 17-1
Away: 11-1
Neutral Record: 4-0

SCOUTING THE CRIMSON HAWKS
With the lofty national ranking to start the season, IUP will have to replace its top three scorers from a season ago that accounted for 63.3 percent of the scoring. Ethan Porterfield averaged 12.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game last season as the Crimson Hawks' top returning player. IUP grinded teams down last year as it allowed less than 60 points per game. Indiana (Pa.) did not lose a game until early February, and the second loss was to West Liberty in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

PITT-JOHNSTOWN AT A GLANCE
2022-23 Overall Record: 20-11
PSAC Record: 15-7
Home Record: 13-2
Away Record: 7-8
Neutral Record: 0-1

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAIN CATS
Veteran head coach Bob Rukavina starts his 35^th year on the sidelines for the Mountain Cats as he is two wins shy of 550 for his career. Pitt-Johnstown has won at least 20 games each of the last three seasons and has won 15 or more games every year since 2004-05. Milton, West Virginia native and Chapmanville High grad Andrew Shull is UPJ's top returning scorer after averaging 11.3 points per game during his redshirt freshman season. Ryan Smith added 9.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game last season.