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Complete Game Notes
ATHENS, W.Va. - After playing four consecutive road games to begin the season, the Concord University men's basketball team welcomes West Virginia State to the Carter Center for the first home game of the year in a Mountain East Conference clash 4:00 p.m. Tuesday.
LIVE COVERAGE
The Concord University Sports Information Department will have live statistics and live video of the contest.Â
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SERIES HISTORY: Concord leads 49-40
LAST FIVE MEETINGS VERSUS WEST VIRGINIA STATE
February 28, 2024: Concord 90 - West Virginia State 83 (Athens, W.Va.)
November 21, 2023: Concord 73 - West Virginia State 71 (Institute, W.Va.)
February 22, 2023: West Virginia State 90 - Concord 85 (Athens, W.Va.)
November 22, 2022: West Virginia State 85 - Concord 80 (Institute, W.Va.)
February 23, 2022: West Virginia State 101 - Concord 94 (OT) (Institute, W.Va.)
CONCORD AT A GLANCE
Overall Record: 0-4
MEC Record: 0-1
Home Record: 0-0
Away Record: 0-4
PRIME TIME PLAYER
In the first MEC game of the season at Charleston Saturday evening, junior guard
Kollin Tolbert pumped in a career-best 58 points which was the second-highest game both for a CU player and in the history of the MEC. Tolbert's previous career high was 26 which was set last season at Notre Dame. The Cincinnati, Ohio native's performance was only topped by Tommy Bolte's 65 points at Charleston in January 2019. Tolbert poured in 41 points during regulation before adding another 17 points during the two overtime segments. He shot 19-of-27 from the floor, including connecting on a career-best four three-pointers, and finishing 16-of-19 at the foul line. After Tolbert's scoring outburst, CU owns three of the four all-time 50-point games in the MEC—Bolte scored 51 against Fairmont State in March 2018 before his career night a season later.
MR. CONSISTENCY
While Tolbert leads the MEC in scoring per game (25.3) and is seventh in Division II, senior forward
Amare Smith has morphed into a reliable secondary scorer for the Mountain Lions. Smith has netted double figures in all four games this season and has scored 10 or more in six straight games, dating back to last season—the longest streak of his career in double-digit scoring. The Huntington, West Virginia native has made at least one three-pointer in all four games, the only other CU player to accomplish that feat is sophomore guard
Georges Archer. Smith is averaging 13.0 points per game which is tied for 18
th in the MEC.
HEAT IT UP
After shooting 33.8 percent at California (Pa.) on November 16, Concord has been sizzling from the field in the last two games. CU shot nearly 60 percent in the second half, and 48.5 percent for the game, at Bluefield State last Wednesday. And a 58-percent showing from the field at Charleston was spurred by the Mountain Lions making 60 percent of their shots in the first half. Junior forward
Rene Diop is shooting 62.5 percent over the last two games (15-for-24) while averaging 18.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Over the last two games, freshman guard
Josiah Rickards has connected on 8-of-14 attempts from the field in scoring a total of 25 points, including a career-best 16 points at Charleston. CU's team field-goal percentage of 46.7 percent is third in the MEC.
BREAK OUT THE BROOMS
For the first time since the 2018-19 season, Concord swept the two-game regular season series from West Virginia State last year with a 73-71 win on the road, and a 90-83victory in the final home game of the season February 28. CU rallied from a 13-point deficit in the first meeting last season, the largest comeback for Concord since the 2021-22 season. Smith made a go-ahead free throw with 1:15 left and then blocked the potential game-winning layup by the Yellow Jackets with two seconds remaining to preserve the game. At home, the Maroon and Gray shot 51.8 percent as Tolbert had one of his four 10-5-5 games in his career with 16 points, five rebounds and five assists. Diop just missed a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds while Smith netted 10 points. Smith has scored in double figures in four of six career games versus WVSU.
POINTS PALOOZA
Typically when Concord and West Virginia State meet on the hardwood, there's no shortage of points. In fact, the 73 points that CU won with last season at the Walker Convocation Center was the fewest the winning team has scored in the all-time series going back to November 2012 when the Mountain Lions only needed 68 points to win by six. In the 16 games that head coach
Todd May has coached against West Virginia State, the Mountain Lions are averaging 87.5 points per game and Concord is 10-6 in those contests. The Maroon and Gray's 89.3 points per game only ranks 30
th in Division II this season. The 119 points that CU scored in the double overtime game at Charleston were the most since the Mountain Lions scored a single-game program record 122 during the 1930-31 season versus Alderson Broaddus.
RUN EM OFF THE LINE
Early in the season West Virginia State has proven itself to be one of the top three-point shooting teams in the MEC despite having the fewest attempts from three-point distance of any conference team (89). The Yellow Jackets, led by Miguel Martinez, have buried 32 three-pointers and are shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc, the fourth-best percentage in the MEC. Individually, Martinez has hit 13 three-pointers and is shooting at a 44.6 percent rate from distance. The Mountain Lions are seeking to improve on a three-point defense of 42.9 percent. CU did limit WVSU to less than 30 percent from three-point range on the road last season, but the Yellow Jackets shot 47.4 percent (9-for-19) at the Carter Center.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
24- Total lead changes between Concord and Charleston Saturday night.
30- Made free throws by CU at Charleston which is tied for seventh-most in a Division II game this season.
90- Tuesday will be the 90
th all-time meeting between Concord and West Virginia State with CU holding a 49-40 series edge.
WEST VIRGINIA STATE AT A GLANCE
Overall Record: 3-1
MEC Record: 1-0
Home Record: 2-1
Away Record: 1-0
SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS
Martinez is not only WVSU's top scorer this season at 19.3 points per game, but he is also the Yellow Jackets' top rebounder, averaging 7.8 rebounds per game. Since dropping the first game of the season, West Virginia State has won three straight games, including the MEC opener over Glenville State, 82-79. Jae Slack (15.7), Arthur Cox (13.3) and Jaden Byers (10.0) join Martinez in double figures.
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