West Liberty, W.Va. – After opening the 2023-24 season with three consecutive games at home, the West Liberty University women's basketball team will hit the road for the first time this year when they visit Salem on Saturday afternoon. The Hilltoppers and Tigers are set for a 2 p.m. tip-off inside the T.Edward Davis Gymnasium.

GAME DETAILS

• Location: Salem, W.Va. (T. Edward Davis Gymnasium)
• Tip-Off: 2 P.M.

WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty enters Saturday's game with a record of 1-2 on year following an 85-70 loss at home to Kentucky State.
• Through three games, the Hilltoppers are averaging 71.0 points, 40.0 rebounds, 16.0 assists, 9.3 steals, and 3.0 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 34.0 percent from the field, 33.7 percent from 3-point range, and 71.0 percent from the free throw line.
• The Hilltoppers are led by two players who are averaging double figures as Karly McCutcheon averages 16.7 points and Corinne Thomas adds 16.0 points per game. The duo are the top two scoring threats from beyond the arc, as McCutcheon has knocked down 11 3-pointers and is 39.3 percent from deep while Thomas has made ten 3-pointers at a 37.0 percent rate.
• McCutcheon and Thomas are the top rebounds on the team, averaging 6.3 and 6.0 rebounds per game respectively.
• In her return from injury, Bailee Smith has continued to be the floor general and lead the offense. She averages a team-high 3.7 assists while Thomas has added 3.3 per game.
• Thomas and Bailey Beckstedt have made their presence known on the defense side of the ball as they have collected 2.3 and 2.0 steals per game respectively while McCutcheon and Paige Julian have made it difficult for the opponents to get shots off by both averaging 1.0 block per game.
• Jenna Riccardo led the Hilltoppers with a career-high 15 points and eight rebounds against Edinboro, while Paige Julian notched a career-high 14 points and nine rebounds in the following game against Kentucky State.
• Kyle Cooper is in his seventh season as the head coach at West Liberty with a career record of 93-75 with the Hilltoppers.

SALEM STORYLINES

• Salem enters Saturday's game with a record of 1-3 on the year following an 84-75 win in their home opener against Seton Hill on Wednesday evening.
• Through four games the Tigers are averaging 66.0 points, 32.8 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 8.0 steals, and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting the ball 41.8 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from 3-point range, and 81.6 percent from the free throw line.
• The Tigers are led by a trio of players who average double figures in scoring with Teodora Popovic averaging a team-high 14.0 points while Anete Bluma adds 13.3 points and Liliani Krause adds 10.7 points per game. Popovic and Bluma are the top two scoring threats from beyond the arc as Popovic has knocked down 13 3-pointers on 52.0 percent shooting while Bluma has made eight 3-pointers on 36.4 percent shooting.
• Three players are tied for the team-lead in rebounding as Bluma, Elena Pericic, and Anna Machytkova are all grabbing 5.0 rebounds per game currently.
• Popovic and Carine Pinkey run the offense for the Tigers, averaging 3.5 and 3.3 assists per game respectively.
• On the defensive side of the ball, Machytkova and Pinkey have had a nose for the ball, collecting 1.8 and 1.5 steals per game, while Pericic and Machytkova have also made it difficult for opponents to get shots off by averaging 1.5 and 1.3 blocks per game.
• Nikayla Edgell is in her first season as the head coach at Salem with a career record of 1-3 during her time with the Tigers.

SERIES HISTORY

• West Liberty holds the all-time series lead 37-15 and has won ten of the past 12 meetings against Salem.
• The teams last played on December 30, 2017, in Salem, West Virginia, when the Tigers secured a 65-59 victory for their first win in the series in nearly a decade.