West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's basketball team will round out the 2023 calendar year with their third consecutive game in the Buckeye State, facing off against No. 1 Ashland on Monday evening. The Hilltoppers and Eagles are scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off inside Charles Kates Gymnasium.

GAME DETAILS

• Location: Ashland, Ohio (Charles Kates Gymnasium)
• Tip-Off: 5:30 P.M.

WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty enters Monday's game with a record of 5-6 (3-2 MEC) on the year following a 78-65 loss on the road to Ohio Dominican on Thursday night.
• Through 11 games, the Hilltoppers are averaging 73.2 points, 36.0 rebounds, 17.0 assists, 8.8 steals, and 2.6 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 37.7 percent from the field, 33.9 percent from 3-point range, and 66.8 percent from the free throw line.
• WLU ranks within the top-25 of NCAA Division II in three statistical categories, ranking second in 3-pointers per game (11.1), third in 3-point attempts per game (32.7), and 24^th in assists per game (17.0).
• The Hilltoppers are led by a trio of players who are averaging double figures as Corinne Thomas ranks third in the MEC and averages 17.1 points while Karly McCutcheon ranks tenth in the conference with 13.3 points per game. Bailee Smith rounds out the trio by scoring an average of 11.6 points per game.
• Thomas has four games of 20 or more points this season while McCutcheon has two. Each of them has one double-double in 2023-24.
• The duo of Thomas and McCutcheon are two of the top shooters from beyond the arc in NCAA Division II. Thomas is second nationally in total 3-pointers (39) and is fourth in 3-pointers per game (3.55), while McCutcheon is 6^th in total 3-pointers (31) and is 25^th in 3-pointers per game (2.82). Thomas is 39-of-110 for 35.5 percent and McCutcheon is 31-of-94 for 33.0 percent from deep.
• The Hilltoppers have recorded double digit 3-point field goal totals in eight of their 11 games this season, including 13 or more made from beyond the arc in five contests. McCutcheon's six made 3-pointers against Walsh last Tuesday night tied the most made in a game for WLU this season, matching Thomas' six in a prior win at Salem.
• Jenna Riccardo and McCutcheon both average more than five rebounds a game to lead WLU on the glass. Riccardo averages a team-high of 5.8 rebounds per game while McCutcheon has grabbed 5.0 boards per game. After securing seven rebounds against Ohio Dominican last Thursday, Riccardo has now grabbed five or more rebounds in eight games this season.
• Thomas and Smith have been the facilitators of the Hilltopper offense. Thomas leads the team and ranks second in the conference with a total of 42 assists while Smith is fifth in the league with 37 assists. They are averaging 3.8 and 3.4 assists per game respectively. In last Tuesday's outing against Walsh, Thomas and Smith dished out season-highs of seven and six assists respectively.
• Thomas, who ranks 23^rd in DII with 27 total steals this season, leads the Black & Gold on the defensive side of the ball by forcing 2.45 steals per game. Smith adds 1.4 steals per game while McCutcheon and Anna Lucarelli each average 1.2 per contest. Thomas matched a season-high of four steals against the Panthers on Thursday night, bringing her season total of multi-steal games to eight. Smith and McCutcheon both have three multi-steal games in 2023-24.
• McCutcheon leads the team with 0.7 blocks per game while Paige Julian and Natalija Sekulovska each average 0.6 blocks. Sekulovska posted a pair of blocks in three of the past four outings against Charleston, West Virginia State, and Walsh.
• Kyle Cooper is in his seventh season as the head coach at West Liberty with a career record of 97-79 with the Hilltoppers.

#1 ASHLAND STORYLINES

• Ashland enters Monday's game with a record of 8-1 (3-0 GMAC) on the year following their first loss of the season, a 66-62 defeat to No. 10 Ferris State at home on Saturday afternoon.
• Starting with the release of the Preseason WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches' Poll, the defending national champions have been ranked No. 1 in all five of the 2023-24 rankings releases.
• AU ranks within the top-25 of NCAA Division II in eight statistical categories, ranking second in field goal percentage (49.3%), sixth in scoring margin (+22.8) and 3-pointers per game (9.2), 12^th in free throw percentage (79.2%), 13^th in rebound margin (+10.2) and scoring offense (80.0), 14^th in 3-point percentage (37.7), and 21^st in assists per game (17.0)
• Through nine games AU is averaging 80.0 points, 37.8 rebounds, 17.0 assists, 8.4 steals, and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting the ball 49.3 percent from the field, 37.7 percent from 3-point range, and 79.2 percent from the free throw line.
• Ashland is led by the duo of Annie Roshak and Zoe Miller who average double figures in scoring with 15.6 and 13.9 points per game, ranking sixth and ninth respectively in the GMAC.
• Morgan Yoder ranks fourth in the conference in both total 3-pointers (18) and 3-pointers per game (2.00), knocking down 18-of-49 shot attempts for a 36.7 percent clip from beyond the arc.
• Hayley Smith has led the Eagles on the glass this season, ranking fourth in the GMAC with 7.7 rebounds per game. She has reached double digit rebounds in four contests this season, notching a pair of double-doubles in the process. Roshak also averages 6.4 rebounds per game and used a 12 rebound performance for one double-double this season.
• Yoder is the facilitator of the AU offense, averaging dishing out 2.8 assists per game. She has posted four or more assists in four games this year.
• Defensively, Lexi Howe (1.4), Savaya Brockington (1.3), and Roshak (1.2) each average more than one steal a game for the Eagles.
• Sarah McKee and Roshak are tied for third in the conference with 1.11 blocks per game and ten total blocks this season.
• Kari Pickens is in her sixth season as the head coach at Ashland, posting a career record of 150-16 during her time with the Eagles. She is the second-winningest NCAA women's basketball coach all-time in terms of winning percentage, minimum 150 games (.904).

SERIES HISTORY

• Entering the seventh meeting between the teams, Ashland leads the all-time series 4-2.
• The Hilltoppers fell 97-68 to the then No. 2 Eagles on December 1, 2022, inside the ASRC in their last match-up.
• Grace Faulk, Karly McCutcheon, and Natalija Sekulovska all scored in double figures in the last meeting, scoring 15, 12, and ten points respectively. The trio shot a combined 9-of-21 (42.9%) from beyond the arc.