Concord Opens 2024 With Road Contest Against No. 12 Fairmont State

Concord Stats – Fairmont State Stats – Game Video – Game Stats – Complete Game Notes
 
ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University women's basketball team begins its 2024 schedule against Mountain East Conference foe and 12^th-ranked Fairmont State inside Joe Retton Arena Friday at 11:00 a.m.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The Fairmont State University Sports Information Department will provide live video and statistics for the game.
 
LIVE VIDEO
 
LIVE STATS
 
SERIES HISTORY
Fairmont State leads 25-16
 
LAST FIVE MEETINGS AGAINST FAIRMONT STATE
February 4, 2023: Fairmont State 87 – Concord 71 (Fairmont, W.Va.)
December 6, 2022: Fairmont State 78 – Concord 69 (Athens, W.Va.)
February 5, 2022: Concord 89 – Fairmont State 81 (Athens, W.Va.)
December 8, 2021: Fairmont State 93 – Concord 84 (Fairmont, W.Va.)
January 27, 2021: Fairmont State 90 – Concord 85 (OT) (Fairmont, W.Va.)
 
CONCORD AT A GLANCE
2023-24 Record: 5-5
MEC Record: 2-2
Home Record: 3-2
Away Record: 2-2
Neutral Record: 0-1
 
SETTING THE STANDARD
Before the winter break, CU set a new single-game program record swiping 23 steals from Emory & Henry and forcing 31 turnovers, a team-high under second-year head coach Tesla Southcott. Junior guard Skylar Davidson led the Mountain Lions with six steals, tying her career-high mark. Senior guard Jaisah Smith and junior guard/forward Deja Atkinson followed with recording four steals each. CU was able to convert 36 points off of turnovers against the Wasps, a season-high and the fifth time this winter the Mountain Lions have converted at least 20 points from turnovers.
 
FRESHMAN HONORS
Concord freshman guard Ana Young has played in all 10 games so far this season, including a start in her first collegiate game. Her previous career-high in scoring before clashing with Emory & Henry was six points scored against Frostburg State. Young exploded for 24 points against the Wasps, the most points scored by any Mountain Lion this season. She shot 10-for-19 from the field, as well as 4-for-9 from three-point range paired with five rebounds and two assists in the game. Young's offensive explosion was enough to earn MEC Player of the Week Honors for the first time in her career.
 
BATLLE AT THE POINT
Friday will bid two of the MEC's top point guards this season in CU's Davidson and FSU's Madeline Huffman. Both Davidson (4.3) and Huffman (4.6) rank inside the top five in the MEC in assists per game. Davidson has notched at least five steals in her last three games, moving her up to third in the conference in steals per game (2.8). On the season, Davidson is averaging 10.7 points per game, 4.3 assists per game, and 2.8 steals per game. This winter, Huffman is shooting above 45 percent from the field and from three-point range. In five career games against Concord, she is averaging 3.0 assists per game, including six assists against the Mountain Lions last February. Huffman is averaging 9.7 points per game, 4.6 assists per game, and 3.6 rebounds per game in 2023-24.
 
PROTECTING THE PERIMETER
Fairmont State leads the MEC and sits in the top 10 nationally in three-point percentage, shooting 38.1 percent from long range. The Falcons are averaging 7.8 made three pointers per game behind senior guard Alyssa DeAngelo, who leads the conference in three-point shooting percentage (41.6) and is fourth in made three-pointers (32). Concord ranks first in the MEC in three-point defense, only allowing teams to shoot 26.5 percent from deep. Over its last three games, CU has held the opposition under 33 percent from the three-point line and has not allowed more than four made three-pointers.
 
LOOKING FOR REVENGE
CU dropped both meetings to the Falcons last season despite both games being within four-points at halftime. Sophomore forward Abbie Smith scored 24 points on 10-for-12 shooting and hauled in 13 rebounds in last year's road contest. Senior guard Jaisah Smith scored 18 points in both contests a season ago while making a combined 10-for-13 from the free throw line. In five career games against the Fighting Falcons, she is averaging 18.6 points per game. 92 of CU's 140 points (65.7 percent) scored against FSU last season came in the paint, while also adding 26 combined free throws across both contests. The Mountain Lions also forced the Falcons into 33 turnovers, creating 32 points off turnovers.  
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
17.7 – Offensive rebounds per game for CU through 10 games this season, ranking seventh in Division II

18 – Points scored in both games by Jaisah Smith against Fairmont State last winter

42 – CU bench points scored against Emory & Henry
 
FAIRMONT STATE AT A GLANCE
2023-24 Record: 10-1
MEC Record: 5-0
Home Record: 4-0
Away Record: 5-1
Neutral Record: 1-0
 
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING FALCONS
FSU is scoring 81.5 points per game this season, which is third in the MEC and seventh across Division II. The Fighting Falcons are led offensively by DeAngelo, who is third in Divison II averaging 22.2 points per game and second in the MEC. Graduate guard Katy Darnell (14.6 points per game) also cracks the top 10 for scoring in the MEC. Senior forward Jalen Gibbs (12.7) and sophomore guard Leslie Huffman (11.6) round out double-digit scorers for FSU. Darnell (54.9 percent) and DeAngelo (47.5 percent) rank third and fourth, respectively, in the MEC in field goal percentage, while Gibbs is second in the MEC swatting 1.3 blocks per game. The Falcons won their first eight games to begin the season before losing on the road against nationally-ranked California (Pa.). Fairmont State sits alone atop the Mountain East Standings at 5-0 in conference play.