Concord Stats –
Frostburg State Stats –
Live Video –
Live Stats –
Complete Game Notes
ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University women's basketball team faces Frostburg State in the Quarterfinal round of the Mountain East Conference Tournament Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, W.Va.
LIVE COVERAGE
The Mountain East Conference will provide live video and statistics for Friday's contest.
LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS
SERIES HISTORY
Concord leads 5-4
LAST FIVE MEETINGS AGAINST FROSTBURG STATE
February 3, 2024: Frostburg State 83 – Concord 81 (Frostburg, Md.)
December 6, 2023: Frostburg State 74 – Concord 73 (Athens, W.Va.)
February 1, 2023: Concord 77 – Frostburg State 57 (Athens, W.Va.)
December 10, 2022: Concord 74 – Frostburg State 63 (Frostburg, Md.)
February 2, 2022: Frostburg State 72 – Concord 66 (Frostburg, Md.)
CONCORD AT A GLANCE
2023-24 Record: 16-12
MEC Record: 11-9
Home Record: 9-4
Away Record: 7-7
Neutral Record: 0-1
ON A HIGH NOTE
In the regular season finale Saturday, CU defeated Glenville State for the first time since the 2020-21 season. The Mountain Lions had lost five straight against the Pioneers before picking up an 80-75 victory on the road at the Waco Center. In fact, Concord had not won at the Waco Center since December of 2014 when it defeated GSU, 104-96. CU built a double-digit lead in every quarter and outscored Glenville State in the first three quarters, shooting a season-best 56.1 percent and outrebounding the Pioneers 45-32 to clinch the number six seed in the MEC Tournament.
HITTING THE MARK
As mentioned above, the Mountain Lions shot a season-high 56.1 percent to down Glenville State. CU shot above 60 percent in the first three quarters of the game to build a lead that would hold up for the win. Concord was 20-for-31 (64.5 percent) from the floor in the first half, commanding an 11-point halftime lead. In the game, four Mountain Lions scored in double figures, led by sophomore forward
Abbie Smith with 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting. Graduate guard
Nakaila Gray had 16 points and shot 6-for-9 from the floor. Junior guard
Skylar Davidson (12) and graduate guard
Jazz Blankenship (10) also scored in double figures.
ALL-CONFERENCE PERFORMERS
Senior guard
Jaisah Smith and
Abbie Smith were named to the All-MEC teams by the conference office Monday afternoon. J. Smith was voted to the All-MEC First Team after being selected All-MEC Honorable Mention last winter. She led CU in scoring, averaging 15.2 points per game and notched a team-leading five 20-point performances this season. A. Smith earned All-MEC Second Team honors for the second consecutive season. The Little Hocking, Ohio native ranks second in the league in rebounds per game (8.5) and third in field goal percentage (52.5 percent). She also led the league in double-doubles, recording 13 on the season and notched three straight double-doubles to close the regular season.
CLOSE CALL
After squaring off two times in the regular season, games between Concord and Frostburg State were decided by a total of three points. In the first meeting back in December, FSU downed CU 74-73 at the Carter Center. Then, at Bobcat Arena in February, Frostburg State hit a buzzer beater to defeat the Mountain Lions 83-81. In both games, both teams held a lead late into the fourth quarter. The combined number of lead changes between CU and Frostburg State this year has been 17 with 22 combined ties. Both J. Smith and A. Smith recorded double-doubles when the teams met at the Carter Center, with Gray knocking down three three-pointers as part of her team-leading 18 points. On the road, CU had five double-digit scorers led by J. Smith with 20 points.
BEEN THERE BEFORE
The Mountain Lions are no strangers to the MEC Tournament and WesBanco Arena, as they fueled a MEC Semifinal run last season. In the opening round against Notre Dame, Concord shot 48.1 percent and made 27 free throws to defeat the Falcons 78-67. Then, in the quarterfinals against West Virginia State, A. Smith scored 29-points and grabbed 15 boards for a double-double. She made a career-high 13 field goals, shooting 68.4 percent from the field (13-for-19). In that same game, she also recorded her career-high of five blocks. Gray knocked down a three-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime, where the Mountain Lions would emerge victorious, 86-83. Although CU's run would come to an end, the senior class has played in seven MEC Tournament games heading into Thursday.
SLOW 'EM DOWN
CU will go up against one of the best offenses in the MEC Thursday afternoon in Frostburg State. The Bobcats shot an MEC-best 44.9 percent from the floor while they are fourth in scoring (77.0 points per game). Defensively, Concord is giving up 41.7 percent from the field this season. The Mountain Lions have held two straight opponents and four of their last seven opponents to under 40 percent from the floor. CU is 13-4 this season when holding teams under 75 points, but one of those losses was a 74-73 defeat in December to Frostburg State. Frostburg State is 12-5 this winter when scoring at least 75 points, but lost Saturday 85-81 at Fairmont State.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
0 – CU never trailed or lost the lead in Saturday's 80-75 win at Glenville State
16.0 – Steals per game vs. Frostburg State this winter
80 – Number of points in the paint against Frostburg State in both games this season
FROSTBURG STATE AT A GLANCE
2023-24 Record: 18-10
MEC Record: 14-6
Home Record: 10-5
Away Record: 8-5
Neutral Record: 0-0
SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
Sophomore forward Emilee Weakley was named MEC Player of the Year, while her coach Jenna Eckleberry was named MEC Coach of the Year. Weakley is Divison II's leading scorer, averaging 25.4 points per game and scored 34 points against CU at Bobcat Arena in February. Graduate guard Maggie Sharp (Second Team) and freshman forward Jenna Muha (Honorable Mention) round out Bobcats who earned All-MEC Honors this season.
