Concord Seeks to Extend Winning Streak to Five in Rivalry Tilt with Charleston

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ATHENS, W.Va. - Winners of four consecutive games, the Concord University men's basketball team tests its win streak when it welcomes Mountain East Conference rival Charleston to the Carter Center for a 7:30 p.m. contest Wednesday.

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SERIES HISTORY: Charleston leads 105-55

LAST FIVE MEETINGS VERSUS CHARLESTON
November 23, 2024: Charleston 122 - Concord 119 (2OT) (Charleston, W.Va.)
March 7, 2024: #7 Charleston 93 - Concord 55 (California, Pa)
January 24, 2024: #23 Charleston 78 - Concord 67 (Charleston, W.Va.)
November 18, 2023: Charleston 81 - Concord 74 (Athens, W.Va.)
January 18, 2023: Charleston 93 - Concord 82 (Charleston, W.Va.)

CONCORD AT A GLANCE
Overall RecorD: 7-6
MEC Record: 6-3
Home Record: 4-1
Away Record: 3-5

THREE-POINT BARRAGE
The Mountain Lions ran their winning streak to four games with a 105-76 win over Wheeling Saturday afternoon. The win was paced by a season-high 16 made three-pointers. It was the most made three-pointers for CU in a game since November 2021 versus Pitt-Johnstown. Junior forward Ken Sallee and junior guard Kollin Tolbert led the three-point display by making five three-pointers each, a career high for both players. Freshman forward Kraig Gilbert also tied his career high with three made triples. Concord needed just 30 attempts from beyond the arc to can the 16 three-pointers which are tied for the third most in the Mountain East Conference this season. The 53.3 shooting percentage from behind the three-point line was a season high, but also the fourth time that CU has made at least 45 percent of its three-point tries this year.

UNCONVENTIONAL DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Senior guard Corey Boston notched his first career double-double in the victory over Wheeling as he scored 15 points, tallying double figures in all 10 games played this year, to go with a career-high 11 assists. Boston accounted for 11 of Concord's season-high 18 assists versus the Cardinals. Boston's double-double was the first points-assists double-double for a Mountain Lion since Matt Weir in January 2022 when he did it in back-to-back games versus Glenville State and Notre Dame. With the 11 assists, Boston jumped up to a tie for third in assists per game in the conference (4.5). Boston's previous career high in assists was seven in the first game of the season at Virginia Union. Boston's performance versus Wheeling coupled with his 22-point game at West Liberty led to him being named MEC Player of the Week for the first time in his career.

TWIN TOWERS
Not only was Concord's potent offense on display versus Wheeling, but CU's shot-blocking prowess stood out too. For the third time already during his freshman campaign, Gilbert blocked five shots in a game. The five swats against Wheeling moved Gilbert back over two blocks per game for the year (2.1), trailing only junior forward Rene Diop (2.2 per game) for the MEC lead. Diop (29) and Gilbert (27) have combined for 56 blocks this season which is more blocks than eight of the other 10 MEC teams have for the year combined. Led by Diop and Gilbert, CU ranks seventh nationally with 5.5 blocks per game. Individually, Diop is 13^th in Division II in blocks while Gilbert ranks 17^th. With a pair of blocks versus Wheeling, Diop has blocked at least one shot in all 13 games this winter.

PUTTING THE BALL IN THE BASKET
Wednesday night will be the second time that Concord and Charleston square off this season after the Mountain Lions dropped a 122-119 double overtime game to the Golden Eagles in late November. Tolbert carried CU's offense by netting 58 points in the defeat—it was the second-most points scored by a single player in program history, trailing only the 65 points that Tommy Bolte scored at Charleston in January 2019. Tolbert was an efficient 19-of-27 from the floor as he made four three-pointers, his previous career best before Saturday and finished 16-for-19 at the foul line. For Tolbert, 19 of his 27 shot attempts came in the paint as he converted on 15-for-19 around the basket. In his first career MEC game, freshman guard Josiah Rickards provided a spark with 16 points on 4-for-7 showing, including making three three-pointers. Diop netted 17 points while senior forward Amare Smith scored 15 points.

THE DIFFERENCE IS ON DEFENSE
Two of the best offenses in the MEC go head-to-head Wednesday night. Concord is second in the MEC in scoring per game (87.5) while Charleston is fifth at 83.9 points per game. UC owns the MEC's best field-goal percentage (48.5). CU is just behind at 46.8 percent which is good enough for fourth in the conference. The Maroon and Gray has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in four of the last six games overall. Both defenses will be stressed, but are up to the task. Charleston is third in the MEC in opponent field-goal percentage (42.9) and Concord is fifth (44.4). The Mountain Lions are 5-1 this year when it holds the opponent under 80 points. And CU is undefeated when it holds the opposition under 45 percent shooting this year, 6-0.

BACKCOURT BATTLE
Four of the best guards in the MEC face off when the ball gets tossed up Wednesday night. The tandem of Boston and Tolbert combine for 34 points per game. Tolbert is third in the MEC in scoring (17.9) while Boston has pushed his way up to 10^th (16.1). The two also combine for 7.4 assists per game. Because of injury, Boston missed the first matchup with Charleston this year. While Tolbert and Boston have combined for 96 games played at CU, Charleston's backcourt relies on the experience of Dwaine Jones to team up with the youthfulness of Ja'Corey Lipkins. Jones is third in Division II with 7.9 assists per game while averaging 12.3 points per game. Between his time at West Virginia State and Charleston, Jones has played in 110 career games. Lipkins is one of the top scoring freshmen in the MEC as he nets 13.5 points per game, and has made 43 percent of his three-point attempts.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
6- Season-low turnovers versus Wheeling

34- Bench points for the Mountain Lions against Wheeling which tied a season high, including a career-high 19 points from Sallee.

84- Combined attempted free throws in the November meeting between CU (41) and Charleston (43).

CHARLESTON AT A GLANCE
Overall Record: 10-5
MEC Record: 7-2
Home Record: 7-2
Away Record: 3-3

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Jones scored 27 points and dished out 10 assists versus Concord in November while Lipkins dropped in 13 points in 26 minutes off the bench. Charleston's leading scorer CJ Meredith who averages 17.2 points per game netted 22 points against the Mountain Lions. UC overcame Concord shooting 58 percent from the field to win the double overtime thriller in November. Charleston sports a five-game winning streak ahead of Wednesday.