Concord Tests Three-Game Win Streak at West Liberty

Concord Stats - West Liberty Stats - Live Video - Live Stats - Complete Game Notes

ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University women's basketball team puts its three-game winning streak on the line when it heads to the ASRC to face Mountain East Conference opponent West Liberty Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The West Liberty Sports Information Department will provide live video and statistics for Wednesday's game.
 
LIVE VIDEO
 
LIVE STATS
 
SERIES HISTORY
WLU leads 32-11
 
LAST FIVE MEETINGS AGAINST WEST LIBERTY
February 24, 2024: West Liberty 110 – Concord 103 (West Liberty, W.Va.)
January 17, 2024: Concord 92 – West Liberty 86 (Athens, W.Va.)
February 11, 2023: West Liberty 87 – Concord 70 (West Liberty, W.Va.)
January 4, 2023: West Liberty 87 – Concord 74 (Athens, W.Va.)
February 12, 2022: Concord 86 – West Liberty 75 (Athens, W.Va.)
 
CONCORD AT A GLANCE
2024-25 Record: 7-7
MEC Record: 4-3
Home Record: 3-2
Away Record: 4-3
Neutral Record: 0-2
 
OUT OF THE BREAK
Sunday's 73-69 road win over Davis & Elkins marked the third-straight win for CU and the fourth win over its last five outings. After trailing by two at halftime, the Mountain Lions went on a 15-3 scoring run to take control and lead by 10 at the end of the third quarter. Junior forward Abbie Smith scored nine of her game-high 19 points in the period followed by senior guard Skylar Davidson and sophomore guard Alexis Frazee with seven points each in the frame. In their last four wins, the Maroon and Gray have outscored opponents 92-65 in the third quarter and have led by at least 10 points going into the fourth in three games.
 
A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING
Alongside Smith's 19-point, 19-rebound double-double, Davidson posted one of her best offensive performances of the season against Davis & Elkins. The Mullens, W.Va. native scored 18 points while dishing out six assists and picking away five steals on the other end. She also owns the team's longest active streak making at least one three-pointer five games in a row. While she raised her season scoring average to 10.8 points per game, Davidson leads the league in steals per game (3.6) and is tied for the league lead averaging 5.2 assists per game. She also ranks first on the Mountain Lions and seventh in the MEC in minutes played per game (33.5) and sports a 1.49 assist/turnover ratio.
 
QUICK IMPACT
Frazee scored her first points as a member of the Mountain Lions Sunday against Davis & Elkins en route to an 11-point performance in her second game of the season. The Little Hocking, Ohio native logged her first minutes for the Maroon and Gray against West Virginia Wesleyan and tallied two steals in five minutes on the floor. She followed that up with 23 minutes against D&E and knocking down a pair of three-pointers and going 3-for-4 at the free throw line for her first double-digit scoring nod for CU.
 
RACKING UP ACCOLADES
Smith was recognized for her performances against WVWC and Davis & Elkins as she was named MEC Co-Player of the Week. In those two performances, Smith averaged 24.5 points and 15 boards while shooting 53.3 percent from the field. She made the game-winning shot as time expired against West Virginia Wesleyan to tie her career-high in scoring and followed it up with a 19-point, 19-rebound double-double at Davis & Elkins. On the season, Smith ranks third in the MEC in scoring (18.4), first in rebounding (11.4), and second in field goal percentage (57.3).
 
FLIP THE SCRIPT
CU heads into the ASRC Wednesday having been unsuccessful in its last two tries at West Liberty. Although the Mountain Lions split the season series last winter against the Hilltoppers, Concord has not been able to come away with a road win at WLU since January 5, 2022. Despite the losses away from home, CU was able to grind out a 92-86 win at the Carter Center last January over the Hilltoppers. The game only featured one lead change when Concord gained the edge at the 7:44 mark of the fourth quarter and never looked back. A 37-point fourth frame sealed a six-point victory after trailing by as many as 12 in the second half. CU also scored a season-high 103 points in the loss at West Liberty last February.
 
DANGEROUS FROM DEEP
The Hilltoppers display three different players in the top 10 for scoring in the MEC in graduate forward Jenna Riccardo (eighth, 15.5), junior guard Bailee Smith (ninth, 15.4), and senior guard Karli Anker (10^th, 14.0). Despite only scoring 72.7 points per game, Riccardo, Smith, and Anker provide 45.2 points per game for WLU or 62.1 percent of its offensive production. Additionally, West Liberty makes the second-most three-pointers per game (9.8) in the league led by Smith shooting an MEC-best 38.9 percent from beyond the arc among qualified players. Sophomore guard Madison Young leads Concord from the three-point line, shooting 36.2 percent and making 1.4 threes per game.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
8 – Charges taken by Carolynn Washington this season, a team-best
16.3 – Made free throws per game during CU's three-game win streak
38 – WLU turnovers inside the Carter Center last winter
 
WEST LIBERTY AT A GLANCE
2024-25 Record: 5-9
MEC Record: 3-4
Home Record: 3-4
Away Record: 2-4
Neutral Record: 0-1
 
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
After picking up a pair of MEC wins to begin the conference slate, WLU has dropped its last three games and is allowing the highest field-goal percentage in the MEC at 47.3 percent. To complement the scoring attack, senior guard Anna Lucarelli ranks fifth in the conference passing for 3.5 assists per game and Riccardo owns the third-best field goal percentage in the conference shooting 50 percent from the floor.