Concord Readies for Final MEC Road Game at West Virginia State

Concord Stats – West Virginia State Stats – Live Video – Live Stats – Complete Game Notes
 
ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University women's basketball team looks to even the season series against Mountain East Conference opponent West Virginia State in its final conference road contest of the regular season Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The West Virginia State Sports Information Department will provide live video and statistics for Wednesday's matchup.
 
LIVE VIDEO
 
LIVE STATS
 
SERIES HISTORY
CU leads 37-24
 
LAST FIVE MEETINGS AGAINST WEST VIRGINIA STATE
November 26, 2024: West Virginia State 70 – Concord 63 (Athens, W.Va.)
March 9, 2024: West Virginia State 73 – Concord 62 (Wheeling, W.Va.)
February 28, 2024: West Virginia State 72 – Concord 63 (Athens, W.Va.)
November 21, 2023: Concord 70 – West Virginia State 57 (Institute, W.Va.)
March 2, 2023: Concord 86 – West Virginia State 83 (OT) (Wheeling, W.Va.)
 
CONCORD AT A GLANCE
2024-25 Record: 14-12
MEC Record: 10-8
Home Record: 7-4
Away Record: 7-6
Neutral Record: 0-2
 
SENIOR DAY SUCCESS
The Mountain Lions used a monster 54-point second half to fuel a 10-point comeback victory over West Liberty on Senior Day, 81-71. CU trailed by 11 at the halftime break, but outscored the Hilltoppers 29-17 in the third quarter to lead by one heading into the fourth. Despite being held under 30 percent shooting in the first half, the Maroon and Gray made 20 of its 39 attempted shots (51.2 percent) in the second half. Additionally, Concord held one of the league's top three-point shooting teams to only 15 attempts from beyond the arc, 8.5 attempts lower than WLU's season average.  
 
SENIOR STANDOUTS
To help cement the comeback over West Liberty, CU senior guards Skylar Davidson and Sanaiya Morris combined for 44 points. Davidson netted a game-best 24 points by going 8-for-19 from the field and 8-for-10 at the free throw line. The Mullens, W.Va. native logged 20 of her 24 points after halftime while adding six steals and three assists to her line. Morris scored 20 points in the contest on 8-for-13 shooting while throwing in a three-pointer and three free throws. The McCalla, Ala. native also had three steals, two rebounds, and one block in 31 minutes on the floor.
 
DOUBLE TROUBLE
While Davidson and Morris highlighted the CU offense with 20+ point performances against WLU, junior forwards Abbie Smith and Imani Hickman both logged double-doubles. Hickman was Concord's third-leading scorer in the game with 16 points with 14 rebounds and was one steal shy of her career-mark of five. Smith came alive in the fourth quarter, converting a three-point play that extended CU's lead to 10 with 1:22 to play to finish with 13 points and 10 rebounds. On the season, Smith leads the MEC with 14 double-doubles and is tied for seventh nationally. Hickman has three double-doubles this winter and has knocked down multiple three-pointers in back-to-back outings. The last time Concord faced off with West Virginia State, both Smith and Hickman logged double-doubles.
 
BOARD BATTLE
After being outrebounded 28-18 in the first half against WLU, the Mountain Lions responded by owning the glass 23-11 in the second half to claim a 41-39 advantage for the game. Concord grabbed its second-most rebounds this season against West Virginia State in November (53) and out-rebounded the Yellow Jackets 53-45 in the game. Heading into Wednesday's matchup, WVSU leads Division II in rebounds per game (48.5) and offensive rebounds per game (22.1). Despite having the rebounding advantage, West Virginia State outscored CU on second chance points (19-13) to claim a 70-63 victory in the Carter Center.
 
BASELINE TO BASELINE
While rebounds are a point of emphasis in Wednesday's contest with WVSU, both Concord and WVSU will display full-court pressure on the defensive end. In the first meeting between the two schools, WVSU forced 35 CU turnovers, the most in a single game this winter. Additionally, the Yellow Jackets took away 23 steals, the third-most this season. West Virginia State also leads Division II in steals per game, poking away 17.6 per game. Concord ranks in the top 50 nationally in steals per game (10.8) and came away with 15 against the Yellow Jackets in November. Davidson leads the MEC in steals per game (3.4) and WVSU sophomore guard Hallie Bailey ranks third (2.9).  
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
20 – Different players in the scoring column the first time CU and WVSU met
26.0 – Davidson's scoring average against WLU this winter
40 – Points in the paint for both Concord and West Virginia State in the first meeting this season
 
WEST VIRGINIA STATE AT A GLANCE
2024-25 Record: 14-12
MEC Record: 8-10
Home Record: 5-7
Away Record: 7-5
Neutral Record: 2-0
 
SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS
WVSU snapped a six-game winning streak Saturday, dropping an overtime game to West Virginia Wesleyan. Senior guard ZZ Russell and senior forward Emyah Fortenberry share the team-lead in scoring, averaging 11.0 points per game. WVSU also has two players in the top 10 in the league in blocks with senior forward Latifat Olatunji (1.9) and Fortenberry (1.4).