Concord Returns from Road Stint to Host Salem on Senior Day

Concord Stats – Salem Stats – Live Video – Live Stats – Complete Game Notes
 
ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University women's basketball team defends its home court for the first time in over a week, hosting Salem in a non-conference game for Senior Day at the Carter Center Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The Concord University Sports Information Department will provide live video and statistics for Saturday's matchup.
 
LIVE VIDEO
 
LIVE STATS
 
SERIES HISTORY
Concord leads 15-8
 
LAST FIVE MEETINGS AGAINST SALEM
November 29, 2023: Concord 75 – Salem 67 (Salem, W.Va.)
January 31, 2022: Concord 96 – Salem 71 (Athens, W.Va.)
December 18, 2019: Concord 73 – Salem 62 (Salem, W.Va.)
January 3, 2019: Concord 90 – Salem 73 (Athens, W.Va.)
January 15, 2018: Concord 81 – Salem 61 (Salem, W.Va.)
 
CONCORD AT A GLANCE
2023-24 Record: 11-10
MEC Record: 7-7
Home Record: 6-3
Away Record: 5-6
Neutral Record: 0-1
 
THE SENIOR GAME
CU will honor three seniors before Saturday's contest: graduate guard Jazz Blankenship, graduate guard Nakaila Gray, and graduate forward Alexis Phillips. The trio have a combined 75-54 record since joining the Maroon and Gray and were part of the third-winningest season in program history when CU went 21-9 in 2019-20. Phillips also played on the 2018-19 squad that won a program-record 23 games. Also, Phillips ranks fifth in program history with 68 career blocks. She has scored in double figures in two of her last three games and knocked down a career-high nine free throws against Notre Dame. Blankenship sits at 10^th in program history in three-pointers made, connecting on 125 long-range baskets and posting 16 career games in which she had three or more three-point field goals. She has played 128 games in her career, the most of anyone on CU's roster this season. Gray is averaging 2.5 steals per game this winter and has come away with multiple steals in eight straight games. On the season, she leads the Mountain Lions in three-point percentage (37.0 percent). Perhaps Gray's most memorable moment came in the MEC Tournament last season when the hit the game-tying three-point shot against West Virginia State that sparked a CU comeback victory.
 
TEAM EFFORT
In two of its last three games, CU has seen five players score in double figures in the same game. Before CU clashed with Frostburg State last Saturday, the Mountain Lions had only posted five players in double figures once this season: on the road against Salem. In those games, Phillips has cracked at least 10 points in all three. Gray, senior guard Jaisah Smith, sophomore forward Abbie Smith, freshman guard Ana Young, and junior guard/forward Deja Atkinson have posted double figures twice in those games. As a result, CU has netted at least 80 points in four of its last five games and has brought its season scoring average to 74.2 points per game.


HITTING THE MARK
As a result of having five double-digit scorers and scoring over 80 points per game in its last five contests, Concord has strengthened its shooting percentage above 40 percent for the first time this winter. The Mountain Lions have shot 41 percent or better in six straight games, including a season-high 47.8 percent from the field against Glenville State in the Carter Center. Before the six-game streak, CU had only shot above 40 percent in four games and were only scoring 72.4 points per game. During the streak, Concord is averaging 78.5 points per game and shooting 44.5 percent. A. Smith cracks fourth on the MEC in field goal percentage, making 50.2 percent of her shots across 21 games.
 
FROM DOWNTOWN
Young accomplished a feat that had not been topped in eight years. On Monday against Bluefield State, Young drained back-to-back-to-back three pointers to give CU a 27-point lead in the game late in the fourth quarter. Then, on Wednesday at Notre Dame, she scored 15 of her 17 points in the first quarter, knocking down three more three-pointers. The last time a Concord freshman posted back-to-back games making at least three three-point baskets was Emily Boothe against Notre Dame and Urbana in February 2016. Young has scored in double-figures in three straight games and has made a three-pointer in seven straight games. She has made the most three-pointers for CU this season, connecting on 22-of-66 (33.3 percent) three-point attempts.
 
BEHIND THE SCENES
While many different players have posted double-figure scoring games, junior guard Skylar Davidson has helped the Mountain Lions in many other ways. The Mullens, W.Va. native has picked up multiple assists in every game but one and has 20 assists across her last four games. Davidson is second in the MEC in assists per game (4.5) and tied for 18^th nationally. She also comes in at third in the league averaging 2.9 steals per game. On Wednesday, she swatted a career-high three blocks on the road against Notre Dame. In that same game, she also contributed 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting, her second-highest mark of her junior campaign. She is also third on the team in rebounds per game (4.0) and is first in assist/turnover ratio (1.92).
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
6 – Number of three-pointers made in the fourth quarter at Bluefield State on Monday
72 – CU is outscoring opponents by 72 points in the second half this season
82 – Free throws made by Concord over its last four games
 
SALEM AT A GLANCE
2023-24 Record: 4-17
Home Record: 1-9
Away Record: 3-6
Neutral Record: 0-2
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Sophomore forward Elena Pericic enters Saturday as the Tigers' leading scorer, averaging 14.1 points per game. When Salem and Concord met earlier this season, Pericic recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.  She also leads the Tigers in rebounds per game (8.1), steals per game (1.5), and blocks per game (1.6). Sophomore guard Carine Pinkney led SU with 15 points in December against CU on 7-for-12 shooting.