West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's basketball team is set for their first game following the Thanksgiving break as they host West Virginia Wesleyan on Wednesday evening in the ASRC. The Hilltoppers and Bobcats are slated for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off as WLU looks for their third consecutive win.

GAME DETAILS

• Location: West Liberty, W.Va. (Academic Sports & Recreation Complex "ASRC")
• Tip-Off: 5:30 P.M.

• West Liberty enters Wednesday's game with a record of 3-2 (1-0 MEC) on the year following an 84-75 victory against Notre Dame last Tuesday in the conference opener.
• In the last outing a trio of players led the way for the Hilltoppers as Corinne Thomas, Karly McCutcheon, and Bailee Smith each scored 19 points against the Falcons. Thomas knocked down four 3-pointers while McCutcheon and Smith both hit three from deep. McCutcheon led the Black & Gold with six rebounds and Thomas dished out a team-high five assists.
• Through five games, the Hilltoppers are averaging 74.2 points, 42.2 rebounds, 16.4 assists, 9.2 steals, and 2.6 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 33.9 percent from the field, 31.6 percent from 3-point range, and 68.3 percent from the free throw line.
• WLU ranks within the top-25 of NCAA Division II in four statistical categories, leading the country in 3-point field goal attempts per game (34.8) while ranking second in 3-point field goals made per game (11.0), 20^th in free throw attempts per game (25.20), and are 23^rd in free throws made per game (17.20).
• The Hilltoppers are led by a pair of players who are averaging double figures as Thomas has averaged 18.0 points and McCutcheon adds 14.4 points per game. Thomas enters Wednesday's contest with 984 career points, 16 shy of becoming the newest 1,000 point scorer in program history.
• Thomas is tied for the most 3-pointers made per game in DII this season, knocking down an average of 4.00 per game. She also ranks eighth in the country with a total of 20 made baskets from deep. McCutcheon is another scoring threat from 3-point range as she ranks 25^th nationally with 3.00 3-pointers per game in 2023-24. Thomas is shooting 35.1 percent and McCutcheon is 28.8 percent from beyond the arc.
• McCutcheon and Jenna Riccardo are tied as the top rebounders on the team, averaging 6.2 rebounds per game. They have both grabbed at least five boards in four of this season's five games.
• Thomas and Bailee Smith have continued to engineer the Hilltopper offense by averaging a team-high 3.6 assists per game. Smith has posted a 1.50 assist/turnover ratio this season, dishing out 18 assists compared to 12 turnovers.
• Thomas, Anna Lucarelli, and Bailey Beckstedt have each made their presence known on the defense side of the ball as Thomas leads the team with 2.6 steals per game while Lucarelli and Beckstedt both average 1.4 steals.
• McCutcheon and Piage Julian have made it difficult for opponents to get shots off by leading the team with 0.8 blocks per game each.
• Kyle Cooper is in his seventh season as the head coach at West Liberty with a career record of 95-75 with the Hilltoppers.

• West Virginia Wesleyan enters Wednesday's game with a record of 2-3 (0-2 MEC) on the year following a 76-69 home loss to St. Augustine's on Saturday.
• Through five games the Bobcats are averaging 77.6 points, 43.0 rebounds, 20.6 assists, 9.2 steals, and 3.2 blocks per game while shooting the ball 40.5 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from 3-point range, and 75.0 percent from the free throw line.
• Wesleyan ranks within the top-20 of NCAA Division II in five statistical categories, ranking fourth in assists per game (20.6), 12^th in 3-pointers per game (9.0), 15^th in rebound margin (+11.2), 17^th in offensive rebounds per game (17.2), and 18^th in assist/turnover ratio (1.21).
• WVWC is led by a pair of players who average double figures in scoring with Emma Witt leading the team with 13.0 points per game while Sydney Baird has added 10.2 points. Witt has posted a pair of 20+ point outings while Baird has one.
• Baird is shooting 50.0 percent from 3-point range, knocking down 11-of-22 from deep, while Shelby Genes has made a team-high of 12 3-pointers and is shooting 35.3 percent from beyond the arc.
• Desiree Roy has been another key player of focus for West Virginia Wesleyan, leading the team with 7.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, while adding 9.4 points. She's recorded one double-double this season, a 19 point and 16 rebound performance against Fairmont State in the conference opener. She also notched three blocks and a pair of steals against the Falcons.
• Courtney Wilfong has been the floor general for the Bobcats, dishing out a team-high 4.6 assists per game, while adding 6.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.0 steal per game. She has posted four or more assists in four of the five games this season.
• Brett Vincent is in his third season as the head coach at West Virginia Wesleyan, posting a record of 10-45 during his time with the Bobcats.

• West Liberty holds a 43-16 lead in the all-time series and has won 19 of the last 20 meetings dating back to 2012-13.
• The Hilltoppers scored their ninth consecutive win over the Bobcats with a 77-35 win in Buckhannon, West Virginia, on January 28, 2023.
• Corinne Thomas scored a game-high 25 points in the last match-up, shooting 7-of-9 from 3-point range, while Karly McCutcheon and Grace Faulk added 12 and 11 points respectively.