WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's basketball team is set for a non-conference matchup this afternoon against Tiffin inside the ASRC.

THE BASICS
December 18, 2022 | 2:00 pm | Academic, Sports, and Recreation Complex (West Libery, W.Va.)
Tiffin (4-8, 1-4 GMAC) vs. West Liberty (5-4, 4-2 MEC)
Live stats and video links can be viewed here.

THE HILLTOPPERS
West Liberty is coming off a tough week of conference play, dropping its first two MEC games of the season to #22 Charleston, on the road, and West Virginia State, at home last Saturday. The Hilltoppers held the lead at the half in both contests but could not hold on. This afternoon is the middle game of a three-game homestand, the longest of the season. WLU is 2-1 in the home confines so far.
 
The Hilltoppers are netting 78.4 points per game and rank top-20 in DII with a 45.9% mark from the floor, as they look to turn the tempo up on a low scoring Tiffin squad. The Black and Gold have a nice split from inside and outside scoring and are highly efficient at both, ranking second in the MEC in three-point percentage (33.2%). Defensively, West Liberty is holding opponents to 74.4 points per game on 41.5% shooting. On the glass, WLU is second in the Mountain East with +4.1-rebounding margin and 28.2 defensive boards per game.
 
Arriana Manzay, a 6-3 senior forward, leads the Black and Gold averaging a double-double at 21.3 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. She has four double-doubles this season and is coming off a career-high 17 rebounds last game, which she also netted 20 points, her fifth time this season with 20-plus. Manzay is converting her shots at the third best rate in DII, at 67.9% from the field, and went 8-for-9 in the last outing against West Virginia State.
 
Sophomore guard Karly McCutcheon is draining the second-most three pointers per game in the nation, at 3.67. She is shooting 48.5% from deep and is right behind Manzay averaging 21.1 points a game. McCutcheon posted 21 points and three triples the last time out, her fifth game with 20-plus and seventh with three or more long balls. She is second in the MEC in overall field goal percentage, behind Manzay, at 55.9%.
 
The Hilltoppers are sharing the ball at an elite rate, ranking 14^th in DII and first in the conference in assists per game, at 17.7. Sophomore point guard Anna Lucarelli (3.7) and McCutcheon (3.6) lead the team. McCutcheon had a season-high eight in the double-overtime win over Mercyhurst, while Lucarelli dished a career-high seven at Davis & Elkins earlier this year.
 
West Liberty has committed the most turnovers in the conference and averages a -6.44-turnover margin.

THE DRAGONS
After a 2-0 start to the season, Tiffin is just two for its last 10 and enters this afternoon's contest on a two-game skid. Most recently, they dropped an 88-53 decision on Thursday at Northwood. This is the third game of a six-game road trip for the Dragons, who will not be back home January 12 for the first time in over a month. Tiffin is 0-7 on the road this season.
 
Tiffin has the lowest scoring offense in the GMAC, at 53.4 points per game and allows 66.1 points for a -12.7-scoring margin. The Dragons are shooting just 36.7% from the field this season, but have been able to hang with teams by holding opponents to just 40.2% shooting, the third best in their league. From beyond the arc, Tiffin is making 27.4% of its attempts for an average of 5.1 triples a game, while opponents are shooting 34.2% from deep.
 
This afternoon will likely come down to who can keep control of the ball more, as Tiffin also averages a negative turnover margin coughing up just over 18 per game.
 
Senior guard Savanah Richards leads the team averaging 11.8 points over 35 minutes per game. Freshman Catara Dejarnette sinks 1.7 three pointers per game, while fellow freshman Ellie Gabel is knocking down 47.1% of her long-range shots.
 
Richards (5.3 rpg) and Jada Tate (5.0 rpg) handle the rebounding duties for Tiffin. As a team, the Dragons average a -3.1 margin on the glass.
 
The lone like opponent Tiffin has squared off against was Mercyhurst, which they lost 70-49. The Hilltoppers took down the Lakers in double overtime for their first win of the season on opening weekend in Charleston.

THE SERIES
The Dragons hold a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to the 1964-65 season, when the Hilltoppers won the first meeting, 70-62. This will be the first meeting since 2008-09, when Tiffin won the season-opening battle 69-65. The Dragons have won each of the last four meetings after West Liberty began the all-time series with a pair of wins.

NEXT UP
West Liberty will be back in action inside the ASRC on New Year's Eve against Ashland University, who is currently #2 in the national polls. Tip off is scheduled for 2 pm.

Follow Hilltopper basketball all season online at HilltopperSports.com and on Twitter (@WLU_Hoops | @WLathletics), Instagram (@wlu_wbb | @wlu_athletics), and Facebook.