Concord Squares Off with Fairmont State at the Carter Center

Concord Stats - Fairmont State Stats - Live Stats - Live Video - Complete Game Notes

ATHENS, W.Va. - The Concord University men's basketball team looks to stay hot after a 101-79 win over Glenville State Saturday when it welcomes Fairmont State to the Carter Center 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in a Mountain East Conference clash.

LIVE COVERAGE
The Concord University Sports Information Department will provide live statistics and live video of Wednesday's game. 

Live Stats
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SERIES HISTORY: Fairmont State leads 65-32

LAST FIVE MEETINGS VERSUS FAIRMONT STATE
January 5, 2024: Fairmont State 88 - Concord 72 (Fairmont, W.Va.)
February 4, 2023: Fairmont State 92 - Concord 86  (Fairmont, W.Va.)
December 6, 2022: Concord 86 - #19 Fairmont State 83 (Athens, W.Va.)
February 5, 2022: #12 Fairmont State 82 - Concord 80 (Athens, W.Va)
December 8, 2021: #17 Fairmont State 85 - Concord 71 (Fairmont, W.Va.)

SUPER SEVEN
In the win over Glenville State, CU had seven players reach double figures as the balanced scoring of the 2023-24 season continued. Junior forward Amare Smith came off the bench to lead the team in scoring with 13 points. Five others, junior guard Corey Boston, senior guard JJ Harper, sophomore forward Ayden Ince, fifth-year senior forward Jevon Laidler and senior guard Jordan Wooden, all scored 12 points while sophomore forward Rene Diop netted 11 points. It marked the second time in as many seasons that Concord put seven players in double figures after accomplishing the feat last year in a home loss to West Liberty. This season, only Kollin Tolbert (13^th/13.5) and Harper (22^nd/12.0) rank in the top 25 in the MEC in scoring, but CU is still averaging 80.6 points per game.

CATCHING FIRE
On Saturday, Concord scored a season high in points as it went over the century mark for the first time in nearly a year after scoring 103 last February versus Bluefield State. Paced by a first-half shooting percentage of 68.6, the Mountain Lions had their highest scoring half (62) in eight years as they opened up a 33-point halftime lead. The seven players that finished in double figures combined to shoot 30-for-51. Not only did the Mountain Lions shoot a season-best from the field (57.8 percent), but they drained a season-high 11 three-pointers and recorded a season-best 52.4 percent from three-point distance (11-for-21). The trio of Boston, Laidler and Wooden did not miss from beyond the arc, going 7-for-7.

BENCH MOB
Another season high set on Saturday versus Glenville State was the CU bench racking up 48 points, paced by three double-figure scorers of Boston, Ince and Smith. Freshman guard Georges Archer also came on and threw in seven points. Ince scored his 12 points in just 12 minutes of action that included netting eight points in his first rotation of three minutes in the first half. The only other time that Concord has scored 40 or more bench points this season was at Fairmont State, aided by a season-best 23 points from Wooden who has started the other 14 games. The 48 bench points were the most for the Mountain Lions since November 2017 when they also scored 48 points. This season, the CU reserves are averaging 24.7 points per game.

TRIPLE THREAT
Before connecting on 11 three-pointers versus Glenville State, CU's previous high this season for made three-pointers came earlier in the month with 10 triples versus Fairmont State. The effort was paced by Wooden's career-high five three-pointers. Five other Mountain Lions made a single three-pointer in the 88-72 road loss. Though Concord is still only averaging 6.1 three-pointers made per game this season, the Maroon and Gray has found a more consistent stroke since the calendar turned to 2024. In the last seven games, Concord has made at least eight three-pointers four times. In the first eight games of 2023-24, the most three-pointers made by CU in a game was six. On the other side, Fairmont State hits an average of 10.3 three-pointers per game, second in the MEC, paced by Tommy Williams' conference-leading 3.2 triples per contest.

HIGH STAKES
The games between Concord and Fairmont State have no shortage of importance when the sides square off at the Carter Center. With each team jockeying for MEC Tournament seeding, Concord and FSU start the week at 7-4 in the conference, just two games behind Charleston for second place and one game back of third-place West Virginia State. Last season when the teams met at CU, Fairmont State entered the December 6, 2022 contest ranked 19^th in Division II. Concord pulled off the upset, 86-83, behind 12 three-pointers on 66.7 percent shooting from behind the arc. Harper (20) and Smith (18) combined for 38 points off the bench. And the Mountain Lions were able to turn 12 Fairmont State turnovers in 21 points. The 66.7 percent shooting from three-point range was a single-game program record.

ON THE BOARDS
The final result on Wednesday night could be dictated by who wins the rebounding battle. In 15 games this season, Concord is 11-0 when it either ties in total rebounds or wins outright, and is 0-4 when losing the rebounding battle. At Fairmont State on January 5, Concord lost the boards, 39-33. CU leads the MEC in rebounding margin (5.9) and is second nationally in total rebounds, 45.1. Fairmont State meanwhile is fifth in rebound margin (2.2) in the MEC. FSU's Seth Younkin, who had 15 boards in the first meeting this season, leads the conference with 7.5 rebounds per game. Tolbert is fourth in the MEC in rebounding (6.7) while Diop is ninth (5.9). In the first meeting, Fairmont State turned 12 offensive rebounds in 22 second-chance points.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
0- Number of times Concord trailed in last year's upset win over Fairmont State. The game was only tied three times.

14- Season-high tying assists for CU in the win over Glenville State

46- Bench points scored by Concord in last year's win over Fairmont State, spearheaded by a combined 38 from Harper and Smith.

FAIRMONT STATE AT A GLANCE
Overall Record: 14-4
MEC Record: 7-4
Home Record: 9-2
Away Record: 5-2

SCOUTING THE FIGHTING FALCONS
After losing three straight games in late November and early December, Fairmont State has rattled off 10 wins in its last 11 games. Over that stretch, Zyon Dobbs is averaging 16.9 points and 5.9 assists per game. David Jolinder (15.5), Dobbs (15.3) and Cam Whiteside (14.8) are sixth, seventh and eighth in the MEC in scoring this season. Whiteside netted 26 points versus Concord in FSU's win earlier this month. Paced by his 58 three-pointers this season, Williams is scoring 13.6 points per game while shooting 41.4 percent from three-point range.