WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's basketball team is back in conference play tomorrow, for the first time since December 10, on the road at Concord.

THE BASICS
January 4, 2023 | 5:30 pm | Carter Center (Athens, W.Va.)
West Liberty (6-5, 4-2 MEC) at Concord (4-6, 2-4 MEC)
Live stats and video links can be viewed here.

THE HILLTOPPERS
West Liberty returns to Mountain East Conference action looking to snap a two-game conference skid lingering from the first week of December. Over the holiday break, the 'Toppers battled a pair of GMAC teams and came away 1-1 with a 79-66 win over Tiffin on December 18 then a 97-68 loss to #2 Ashland on New Year's Eve. The Hilltoppers are 2-1 on the road in MEC play and 2-2 overall away from home this season.
 
The Black and Gold are making shots at the highest rate in the MEC and 15^th best in DII, with a 46.3% field goal percentage. The made shots lead to the 21^st highest scoring offense in the nation, at 77.5 points per game. All six of the Hilltoppers' wins have come when they score over 77 points, while they have not reached that mark in any of their losses. Beyond the arc, West Liberty is draining 34.8% of its 25 attempts per game for an average of 8.7 makes a game, the second most in the MEC.
 
The Hilltoppers are sharing the ball at an elite rate averaging 18 assists per game, which ranks #1 in the MEC and 12^th in the nation. In five of their six wins, the 'Toppers have recorded 20 or more assists.
 
Arriana Manzay is atop the MEC in points per game (20.9), 9^th in DII, field goals made (91), 13^th in DII, and field goal percentage (67.4%), 2^nd in DII. She has been the leading scorer in each of the last two games for the Black and Gold, with 21 versus Tiffin and 17 against Ashland. Manzay also ranks 19^th in DII and second in the MEC with an average of 10.3 rebounds per game. The senior forward from Texas has five double-doubles on the season and has scored 10-plus in every outing. She has a pair of 30-point games highlighted by 38 in the season-opening win over Mercyhurst and six 20-point outings. Manzay is also second in the conference at 1.27 blocks per game. She was recently named the MEC Co-Player of the Week alongside Concord's Jaisah Smith, it is Manzay's second POW honor of the season.
 
Sophomore guard Karly McCutcheon is third in the country averaging 3.36 three pointers per game and is shooting 44% from long range. She is scoring 18.9 points per game and has netted 20-plus in five outings with two above 30. McCutcheon has one double-double with 32 points and 12 rebounds in the win at Davis and Elkins, both career-highs. The New Castle, Pa native led the team with seven rebounds and five assists last time out versus #2 Ashland.
 
Grace Faulk has heated up from long range during the winter recess, she has gone 9-for-12 (75%) beyond the arc in the last two games. The junior guard from Imperial, Pa. followed a tie of her career-high (18 points versus Tiffin), with 15 off five triples against #2 Ashland.
 
Transfer from DI Duquesne, Natalija Sekulovska netted her third straight double-figure game on NYE with 10 points versus Ashland. The sophomore from Macedonia is averaging 9.1 points per game and shooting 40% from beyond the arc in her first season on the hilltop.
 
Anna Lucarelli leads the team and ranks second in the MEC dishing out 4.1 assists per game. She has posted seven assists twice this season tying a career-high and pulled in a career-high seven rebounds in the loss at Charleston.
 
The Hilltoppers post a +1.9-rebounding margin on average, while pulling in 9.6 offensive rebounds.
 
West Liberty has committed the most turnovers in the conference and averages a -6.45-turnover margin.
 
Three players average over 30 minutes per game, McCutcheon (33.6), Manzay (33.0), and Faulk (30.7).

THE MOUNTAIN LIONS
Concord enters on a two-game win streak after picking up an 81-70 non-conference victory on the road over Emory & Henry Monday evening in its first game back on the court since the December 10 overtime win at Frostburg State. The Mountain Lions defeated Notre Dame on the first weekend of December at home for its only other conference win. They are 1-2 on Christie/Cox Court inside the Carter Center.
 
The Mountain Lions are averaging 66.9 points per game and allowing 70.0, while shooting 38.8% from the field and 26.6% beyond the arc. Opponents are converting at a 40.3% clip from the field and 33% from deep. On the glass, Concord ranks third in the MEC with a +2.5-rebounding margin.
 
Junior guard, Jaisah Smith, and freshman forward, Abbie Smith lead the Mountain Lions averaging 11.1 points per game each. Abbie Smith is atop the team leaderboard shooting 53.6% from the floor, while Jaisah Smith ranks 1^st in the MEC from the free throw line converting 40 of her 45 trips this season (88.9%). Jaisah was named Co-Player of the Week by the MEC alongside WLU's Manzay. Senior Jazz Blankenship is the only Mountain Lion with double-digit three pointers on the year, totaling 15, and is shooting 31.3% from deep.
 
Abbie Smith and 6'1" forward Alexis Phillips both average over seven rebounds per game for Concord. Smith has pulled in 34 of her 76 boards on the offensive end so far, leading a Mountain Lion squad that averages 13 offensive rebounds per game.
 
Concord attempts (15.4) and makes (4.1) the least amount of three pointers per game in the MEC. CU forces 19.5 turnovers per game but coughs up 20.3 for a -0.8 margin.
 
10 different players have started a game for Concord, all of which average 10+ minutes per game. No player has started all 10 games, with graduate students Maggie Guynn and Phillips recording a team-high eight starts.

THE SERIES
The Mountain Lions have won each of the last five meetings, three of which in Athens. West Liberty owns the all-time advantage, 36-22, in a series that began in 1981-82. Since the creation of the MEC, however, Concord has a slight 9-8 edge. Last season, CU downed the 'Toppers 86-75 at home, after upending them 88-81 on January 5^th inside the ASRC.

NEXT UP
West Liberty is back on the hilltop on Saturday hosting Glenville State for a 2 pm tip inside the ASRC.

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