Concord Clashes with Point Park in First MEC Meeting

Concord Stats – Point Park Stats – Live Video – Live Stats – Complete Game Notes
 
ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University women's basketball team hosts Mountain East Conference newcomer Point Park for the first time as conference opponents Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. inside the Carter Center.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The Concord University Sports Information Department will provide live video and statistics for Wednesday's game.
 
LIVE VIDEO
 
LIVE STATS
 
SERIES HISTORY
CU leads 1-0
 
ALL-TIME MEETINGS AGAINST POINT PARK
January 3, 2004: Concord 56 – Point Park 39 (Fairmont, W.Va.)
 
CONCORD AT A GLANCE
2024-25 Record: 3-5
MEC Record: 1-1
Home Record: 1-1
Away Record: 2-2
Neutral Record: 0-2
 
SCORING FOUR FIGURES
In the third quarter of Saturday's game against Saint Leo, junior forward Abbie Smith swished a free throw to reach 1,000 points for her career, becoming the 22^nd Mountain Lion to reach the achievement. Smith only needed 69 games to complete the milestone, averaging 14.5 points per game for her career to take down the four-digit milestone. On the season, the Little Hocking, Ohio native ranks second in the MEC averaging 18.0 points per game and is grabbing the eighth-most rebounds per game across Division II (11.4).
 
TURKEY IN TAMPA
CU returns to the Mountain State after a week-long trip to Tampa, Fla. for the Tampa Thanksgiving Tournament. The Mountain Lions faced eighth-ranked Tampa to begin the tournament and took the Spartans to the wire. Trailing by as many as 10 points with a minute remaining in the game, CU got as close as one point after finishing the game on an 11-3 run. Senior guard Sanaiya Morris knocked down two three-point baskets and graduate forward Trina Lewis added another three-pointer to fuel the CU charge. Junior forward Imani Hickman led the way against Saint Leo, scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Smith (16) and Morris (15) also scored in double figures against the Lions.
 
FIRST-TIME TEST
Wednesday marks the first meeting between Concord and Point Park as members of the MEC and is only the second meeting between the two programs on the hardwood. The first matchup came in the 2003-04 season where CU prevailed in a strong defensive effort, 56-39, on a neutral floor in Fairmont, W.Va. PPU joins the MEC from the River States Conference of the NAIA where it went 19-9 last winter. Through seven games this season, the Pioneers are still searching for their first MEC win, dropping the first three tries to Glenville State, West Liberty, and Wheeling.
 
BATTLE ON THE BOARDS
Point Park presents a strong defensive rebounding challenge, as it grabs the most defensive rebounds per game (30.8) in the league. The Pioneers are led by junior forward Camille Fultz who ranks third in the conference snagging 9.0 rebounds per game. Fultz also features the ability to grab boards on the offensive end as well, averaging 4.7 defensive rebounds per game and 4.3 offensive rebounds per contest. On the other side, CU is grabbing the third-most offensive rebounds per game (16.8) led by Smith who falls second in the country with 5.9 offensive rebounds per game.
 
OFF THE BENCH
CU has scored 66 bench points over its last three games after exploding for 30 bench points against nationally-ranked Tampa. Morris led the way, scoring 15 points including three three-point baskets and going 2-for-2 from the free-throw line against the Spartans. Other bench scorers included junior guard Kennedy Scales, sophomore guard Madison Young, and senior guard Faith Diggs who all scored five points each. Freshman guard Amarrah Carter-Bennett chipped in four points in 14 minutes in just her third collegiate game to lead the bench against Saint Leo.
 
IN THE CLUTCH
There were many clutch points to be had when CU took nationally-ranked Tampa to the wire on its home floor on Friday. The Mountain Lions scored 11 points in the final minute of play, but came up short against UT, 66-64. Clutch points are calculated from scoring in the final three minutes of games and overtime when the margin is within 10 points. Concord's leader in clutch points this winter is Morris with 14 points after logging six clutch points against Tampa. Other clutch scorers this season include Hickman and Lewis with eight points, Smith with six points, Scales with five points, and senior guard Skylar Davidson with four clutch points.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
5 – Double-doubles for Abbie Smith in 2024-25, tied for the best in Division II
-6.83 – Point Park's turnover margin this season (Concord +1.13)
21 – Years since the Mountain Lions' and Pioneers' first and only meeting
 
POINT PARK AT A GLANCE
2024-25 Record: 1-6
MEC Record: 0-3
Home Record: 1-2
Away Record: 0-2
Neutral Record: 0-2
 
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Three players pace the PPU offense with Fultz (12.0), junior guard Alexis Giles (11.3), and senior guard Emma Pavelek (11.1) all within one-point per game scoring average. Fultz also leads the defensive charge as the third-best rebounder in the league and swats the fifth-most shots in the conference averaging 0.9 blocks per game.