Concord Readies for Home Opener Against UVa.-Wise

Concord Stats - UVa.-Wise Stats - Live Video - Live Stats - Complete Game Notes

ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University women's basketball team gets its 2024-25 home slate underway hosting UVa.-Wise for non-conference matchup at the Carter Center Wednesday at 5:00 p.m.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The Concord University Sports Information Department will provide live video and statistics for Wednesday's contest.
 
LIVE VIDEO
 
LIVE STATS
 
SERIES HISTORY
Concord leads 11-9
 
LAST FIVE MEETINGS AGAINST UVA-WISE
December 4, 2023: UVa.-Wise 84 – Concord 81 (Wise, Va.)
January 10, 2022: Concord 70 – UVa.-Wise 56 (Wise, Va.)
November 14, 2019: UVa.-Wise 87 – Concord 81 (Athens, W.Va.)
March 7, 2019: Concord 76 – UVa.-Wise 62 (Wheeling, W.Va.)
March 2, 2019: Concord 75 – UVa.-Wise 65 (Wise, Va.)
 
CONCORD AT A GLANCE
2024-25 Record: 0-2
Home Record: 0-0
Away Record: 0-1
Neutral Record: 0-1
 
ALL-TOURNAMENT RECOGNITION
For her efforts in the MEC-PSAC Challenge, junior forward Abbie Smith was named to the All-Tournament Team announced by the Lock Haven Sports Information Department. The Little Hocking, Ohio native got her season underway with an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double against Lock Haven and scored 13 points along with five boards against Seton Hill. For the tournament, she averaged 15.5 points per game while shooting 64.7 percent from the floor (11-for-19) and knocking down all eight free throw attempts against LHU. Smith ranks seventh in the Mountain East Conference in scoring average and is tied for sixth in rebounds per game (7.5).
 
FULL COURT PRESSURE
CU brought the heat in its games at the MEC-PSAC Challenge, forcing opponents into 41 total turnovers through two games. Of those 41 turnovers, 27 were registered as steals by the Mountain Lions' defense. Concord took away 11 steals from Lock Haven in the season opener and followed up with 16 steals against Seton Hill. Senior guard Skylar Davidson tied her career-best of six steals against SHU and is tied for the third-most in a game in the MEC through the opening weekend. Junior guard Carolynn Washington and graduate forward Trina Lewis paced the Concord defense against Lock Haven, coming away with three steals each.
 
MILESTONE MOMENTS
A lot of new faces saw the floor for the Mountain Lions in the season-opening tournament with plenty of milestones to go around. Junior guard Kennedy Scales set a new career-high scoring 10 points and playing a career-best 24 minutes against Lock Haven. Sophomore guard Madison Young followed with an 11-point outing against Seton Hill that included a pair of three-point buckets, the best of her career. Additionally, sophomore guard Colleen Lookabill and freshman guards Cara Brown, Bailey Dement, and Amarrah Carter-Bennett scored their first collegiate points against SHU. Also, sophomore forward Imani Hickman and senior guard Sanaiya Morris collected their first starts as members of the Maroon and Gray.
 
CLOSE CALLS
Concord and UVa.-Wise have had a lot of close meetings on the hardwood, including an 84-81 Cavaliers win in Wise, Va. last season. CU trailed by 10 in the fourth quarter and was able to tie the game with 3:27 remaining but UVa.-Wise pulled away late. Four of the last six meetings between the two schools have been decided by 10 points or less with the Mountain Lions claiming four of those victories. This season, the Cavaliers trailed with under a minute to go in their season opener and came away with a 66-64 win over Clayton State followed by a seven-point victory over Flagler that was as close as five points with under two minutes left.
 
FAMILIAR FACE
CU is no stranger to UVa.-Wise head coach Jamie Cluesman. Cluesman played for the Mountain Lions from 2003-2008 and was inducted into the Concord Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019. She is the program's all-time leader in assists and campaigned back-to-back 20-win seasons in her junior and senior seasons. She also served as an assistant coach for the Maroon and Gray from 2008-2014. As the head coach of the Cavaliers, Cluesman has won 82 games in her tenure at UVa.-Wise and was named South Atlantic Coach of the Year in 2021.
 
FREE THROW FRENZY
Since the series has been historically close between CU and UVa.-Wise, the winner may be decided at the free throw line. When the two teams met at the Prior Center last season, they combined for 73 total free throw attempts and made 55. CU earned 24 points from the charity stripe, while the Cavaliers connected on 31 free throws. Both teams combined for 30 free throw attempts in the fourth quarter of last year's battle and relied on free throws down the stretch. Through two games this season, the Mountain Lions are shooting 60.4 percent from the line and UVa-Wise is making 59.6 percent of its attempted free throws.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
16 – Players who saw the floor in Saturday's contest against Seton Hill
29.0 – Opponent three-point percentage against the Mountain Lions this season (9-for-31)
57 – Combined fouls when CU and UVa.-Wise met last season
 
UVA-WISE AT A GLANCE
2024-25 Record: 2-0
Home Record: 0-0
Away Record: 0-0
Neutral Record: 2-0
 
SCOUTING THE CAVALIERS
UVa-Wise began its season 2-0 with a pair of close wins over Peach Belt Conference opponents Clayton State and Flagler. Senior guard/forward Sable Burnside tied her career-high of 28 points against Flagler while snagging 15 rebounds. Senior forward Katlin Burger adds 17.0 points per game and freshman guard Caroline Mullins controls the offense averaging 4.0 assists per game.