Concord Takes On Nationally-Ranked Fairmont State in Road Game

Concord Stats - Fairmont State Stats - Live Audio - Live Stats - Live Video - Complete Game Notes

ATHENS, W.Va. - After a 92-85 road victory at Glenville State Saturday, the Concord University men's basketball team returns to the road to face nationally-ranked, seventh rated Fairmont State 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Joe Retton Arena in a Mountain East Conference contest.

LIVE COVERAGE
The Fairmont State Sports Information Department will have live statistics and live video of the game. The game can also be heard locally on 106.5 FM or at the streaming link below. 

Live Audio
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Live Video

LAST FIVE MEETINGS VERSUS FAIRMONT STATE
December 15, 2024: #8 Fairmont State 77 - Concord 76 (Athens, W.Va.)
January 31, 2024: Concord 69 - Fairmont State 68 (Athens, W.Va.)
January 5, 2024: Fairmont State 88 - Concord 72 (Fairmont, W.Va.)
February 4, 2023: Fairmont State 92 - Concord 86 (Fairmont, W.Va.)
December 6, 2022: Concord 86 - #19 Fairmont State 83 (Athens, W.Va.)

CONCORD AT A GLANCE
Overall Record: 8-7
MEC Record: 7-4
Home Record: 4-2
Away Record: 4-5

EVERYONE SCORES
One of Concord's keys to success at Glenville State was the balanced scoring effort that the Maroon and Gray used. Senior guard Corey Boston tallied his third career 20-point game against the Pioneers. Reigning MEC Player of the Week and junior guard Kollin Tolbert went for 19 points after his 41-point outburst versus Charleston. Senior forward Amare Smith scored the first seven points of the game on his way to a 13-point contest. Freshman guard Josiah Rickards came off the bench for his third career double-digit scoring game while junior forward Ken Sallee added 10 points in 12 minutes off the bench. Saturday marked the sixth time this year, and the third time in the last four games, that CU had five players finish in double figures. Led by Rickards and Sallee, Saturday was the fifth time that Concord's bench netted 30 or more points this winter.

STAY HOT
Since the calendar flipped to 2025, Concord  shot 50 percent or better for the fourth time in six games at GSU. In the first nine games of the year, CU only shot above 50 percent twice. At Glenville State, the Mountain Lions hit their third-highest field-goal percentage of the season as they made 55.8 percent. In winning five of its last six games, Concord has shot 48.2 percent from the floor, including making 52 percent of its shots in the three of the last four games. Against Glenville State, the five double-figure scorers combined to go 22-for-38 (57.8 percent) from the floor, led by Boston shooting 7-for-11. Rickards only needed four shots to net his 11 points—he made a career-high six free throws in the game.

SMASH THE GLASS
The Mountain Lions finished with a season-low four offensive rebounds at Glenville State, just the third time this year that CU has tallied less than 10 offensive rebounds. However, Concord still owned a comfortable +12 (43-31) rebounding margin against the Pioneers. Even though the Maroon and Gray was unable to be productive on the offensive glass, the Mountain Lions plucked down a season-best 39 defensive rebounds which were the most since December 2023 when Concord grabbed 40 defensive rebounds versus Frostburg State. CU was very balanced on the boards at GSU. Junior forward Rene Diop pulled down nine rebounds versus the Pioneers while Tolbert matched Diop with a season best in rebounding. Boston finished one shy of his career best with six rebounds, and freshman forward Kraig Gilbert tallied his season average in rebounds with six boards.

TAKE CARE OF IT
One of the hallmarks of Fairmont State's success over the last decade has been its stifling full-court pressure. In a 77-76 December loss to FSU who was ranked eighth in Division II, the Mountain Lions turned the ball 19 times which was the second most in a contest this season— 13 turnovers came in live ball situations. Though CU forced 18 turnovers, the Maroon and Gray was outscored 25-12 in points off turnovers in the one-point loss to the Fighting Falcons. Concord is 6-2 this year when it commits 15 or fewer turnovers. Additionally, the Mountain Lions are 7-1 this season when the opposition scores 15 or fewer points off Concord turnovers. Fairmont State leads the MEC with 10.1 steals per game and is top 25 nationally. And the Fighting Falcons are scoring 21.6 points per game off turnovers or exactly 25 percent (390 of 1560 points) of their scoring for the season.

DOWN TO THE WIRE
The last two games between Concord and Fairmont State have been decided in the final secondst. Last January, Tolbert's three-pointer with less than three seconds remaining propelled CU to a 69-68 home win over FSU at the Carter Center. In December, the Fighting Falcons used two foul shots from David Jolinder with just over three seconds left to down the Mountain Lions after Boston hit a go-ahead layup with 13 seconds remaining. Four of the last five meetings between CU and Fairmont State have been decided by six points or less. The one outlier is FSU's 88-72 win over the Mountain Lions last year at home where Concord led 41-40 at halftime at Joe Retton Arena. Smith is averaging 11.8 points per game in his last five games versus FSU.

HEAD-TO-HEAD
Wednesday's contest pits two of the players in contention for MEC Player of the Year in Tolbert and Fairmont State's Jolinder. Tolbert is second in the MEC in scoring (19.5), sixth in field-goal percentage (49.7), sixth in free throw shooting (84.1), tied for 11^th in assists (3.1) and tied for 14^th in rebounding (5.9). In the first meeting with FSU this season, Tolbert was held to four points, but in the six games since Tolbert is averaging 19.6 points per game while shooting 53.5 percent (38-for-71) from the floor and 60 percent from three-point distance (15-of-25). Tolbert is also snagging 6.7 rebounds per contest in the last six games. Meanwhile, Jolinder is fourth in the MEC in scoring (17.4), leads the conference in field-goal percentage (55.5) and is ninth in free throw percentage (77.2).

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
18- Season-high turnovers forced by Concord in the first game with Fairmont State this season.

20- Season-high points scored by Smith versus Fairmont State in December—his third career 20-point game.

109- Career blocks for Diop, after a four-block game at Glenville State, which is now tied for third all-time at CU.

FAIRMONT STATE AT A GLANCE
Overall Record: 16-2
MEC Record: 10-1
Home Record: 9-0
Away Record: 7-2

SCOUTING THE FIGHTING FALCONS
Though Jolinder is FSU's top scorer, he has plenty of help with four other players averaging double figures. Andre Harris scores 13.9 points per game and is second in the MEC in field-goal percentage (55.0). Rudy Fitzgibbons nets 12.9 points per game while Taj Thweatt (12.8) and Tommy Williams (10.0) round out the double-figure scorers. Fairmont State leads the conference in field-goal percentage (48.0) and is second in scoring (86.7) while Concord is third (86.6).