Concord Lifts Lid on 2025 Schedule by Hosting West Virginia Wesleyan

Concord Stats – West Virginia Wesleyan Stats – Live Video – Live Stats – Complete Game Notes
 
ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University women's basketball team begins the 2025 portion of its schedule with Mountain East Conference leader West Virginia Wesleyan at the Carter Center Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The Concord University Sports Information Department will provide live video and statistics for Wednesday's game.
 
LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS
 
SERIES HISTORY
CU leads 28-19
 
LAST FIVE MEETINGS AGAINST WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN
February 14, 2024: Concord 61 – West Virginia Wesleyan 50 (Athens, W.Va.)
January 10, 2024: Concord 66 – West Virginia Wesleyan 58 (Buckhannon, W.Va.)
February 15, 2023: West Virginia Wesleyan 64 – Concord 60 (Athens, W.Va.)
January 11, 2023: West Virginia Wesleyan 70 – Concord 58 (Buckhannon, W.Va.)
February 16, 2022: Concord 73 – West Virginia Wesleyan 61 (Buckhannon, W.Va.)
 
CONCORD AT A GLANCE
2024-25 Record: 5-7
MEC Record: 2-3
Home Record: 2-2
Away Record: 3-3
Neutral Record: 0-2
 
SECOND HALF TAKEOVER
After falling into a 21-14 hole after the first quarter, CU outscored Fairmont State 22-13 to take a 36-34 lead at halftime in the final game before winter break December 15. The Maroon and Gray exploded for a 56-point second half to secure a 92-69 victory over the Fighting Falcons. The win also marked the fifth victory in the last six tried inside the Carter Center for Concord over FSU. Senior guard Sanaiya Morris led the second-half charge with 13 points while junior forward Abbie Smith scored 11 of her game-best 21 points after halftime. Senior guard Skylar Davidson (10) also chipped in offensively in the second half. The Mountain Lions also logged five double figure scorers for the second time this winter.
 
DISH 'EM OUT
To go along with her 14 total points in the win over Fairmont State, Davidson also dished out a season-best seven assists. The Mullens, W.Va. native has recorded at least four assists in all but one game this season and ranks third in the MEC averaging 4.8 assists per game. She also raised her season scoring average to 10.3 points per game and is taking away a league-best 3.7 steals per game on the defensive end. After scoring in double figures in just three of her eight games in 2024-25, Davidson has notched at least 10 points in three straight games and has knocked down multiple three-point baskets in back-to-back outings.
 
DOUBLE DIGIT AUTHORITY
Smith also fueled the 23-point home win over the Fighting Falcons with a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double. While she has scored at least 10 points in all 12 games this season, it was her third 20-point performance and seventh double-double of the winter. Smith knocked down 66.7 percent (6-for-9) of her shots to jump to the front of the MEC in field goal percentage (57.1) and was a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line. Heading into the 2025 portion of the schedule, the Little Hocking, Ohio native is averaging a double-double scoring 17.3 points per game and grabbing 10.8 rebounds per game.
 
PLENTY OF POINTS
While Smith ranks fourth in the conference in scoring, WVWC presents four double-figure scorers with two players ranking inside the top 10 in the MEC. Junior forward Emma Witt owns the second-best scoring average in the league putting up 18.7 points per game followed by sophomore guard Sydney Baird averaging 15.5 points per game (fifth). Additionally, CU's Morris ranks 12th at 12.9 points per game and WVWC senior guards Lojain Elfatairy (12.4) and Shelby Genes (12.3) rank 13th and 14th, respectively. As a team, the Bobcats shoot the second-highest field goal percentage (43.6), three-point percentage (34.1), and free throw percentage (78.4) while scoring 73.7 points per game.
 
BOBCAT EFFICIENCY
While West Virginia Wesleyan ranks seventh in scoring average (73.7), it ranks first in the league in scoring defense, holding opponents to 60.8 points per game. Over their last three games, the Bobcats have not allowed more than 59 points or let the opposition shoot higher than 40 percent from the floor. WVWC forces opponents into 15.9 turnovers per game while staying efficient on the offensive end, leading the MEC in assist/turnover ratio (0.99). Both Baird and Genes average 3.2 assists per game with Baird owning the highest individual assist/turnover ratio in the league (2.0).
 
PREDICTING THE FUTURE
Over the past three seasons, the winner of the first game between Concord and West Virginia Wesleyan has gone on to sweep the season series. A 65-53 win in Athens in 2021-22 led to a season sweep for CU. A 70-58 WVWC win in Buckhannon in the 2022-23 season led to a Bobcats' season sweep. Last season in Buckhannon, the Mountain Lions overcame a nine-point deficit in the third quarter to take the first game of the 2023-24 season, 66-58. Then, the Maroon and Gray outscored West Virginia Wesleyan 20-9 in the fourth quarter to secure the season series, 61-50, in Athens.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
4 – Blocks by Smith against Fairmont State, the most in a game by a Mountain Lion this season

48.5 – Team shooting percentage against FSU on December 15, a season-high

54 – Scoring average across two games for WVWC against CU last winter
 
WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN AT A GLANCE
2024-25 Record: 9-1
MEC Record: 5-0
Home Record: 4-0
Away Record: 3-1
Neutral Record: 2-0
 
SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
West Virginia Wesleyan sports the only undefeated record in the MEC and sits atop the conference standings. While only grabbing 35.4 rebounds per game (ninth), the Bobcats are only allowing the opposition to grab 26.5 rebounds per game (first) and lead the league in rebounding margin (8.9). Offensively, Baird is only one of three players in the conference to qualify for three-point percentage, shooting 35.1 percent from beyond the arc.