West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's basketball team will face their first Mountain East Conference opponent away from home on Saturday as they visit Davis & Elkins. The Hilltoppers look to remain undefeated in conference play when they tip-off against the Senators at 2 p.m. in the McDonnell Center in Elkins, West Virginia.

GAME DETAILS

• Location: Elkins, W.Va. (McDonnell Center)
• Tip-Off: 2 P.M.

WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty enters Saturday's game with a record of 4-2 (2-0 MEC) on the year following a 78-72 victory against West Virginia Wesleyan on Wednesday evening.
• Through six games, the Hilltoppers are averaging 74.8 points, 38.8 rebounds, 17.2 assists, 8.8 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 35.9 percent from the field, 32.9 percent from 3-point range, and 67.3 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 (34.5) while ranking second in 3-point field goals made per game (11.3), 19^th in free throw attempts per game (24.50), 22^nd in assists per game (17.2).
• The Hilltoppers are led by a trio of players who are averaging double figures as Corinne Thomas has averaged 17.2 points while Karly McCutcheon and Bailee Smith add 15.7 and 10.8 points per game respectively. Thomas enters Saturday's contest with 997 career points, three shy of becoming the newest 1,000 point scorer in program history.
• Thomas has the most 3-pointers made per game in DII this season, knocking down an average of 3.83 per game. She also ranks fourth in the country with a total of 23 made baskets from deep. McCutcheon is another scoring threat from 3-point range as she ranks 20^th nationally with 3.00 3-pointers per game in 2023-24. Thomas is shooting 35.9 percent and McCutcheon is 29.0 percent from beyond the arc.
• Thomas, Paige Julian, and Jenna Riccardo are tied as the top rebounders on the team, averaging 5.5 rebounds per game.
• Thomas and Smith have continued to engineer the Hilltopper offense by averaging a team-high 3.7 and 3.5 assists per game respectively. Smith has posted a 1.62 assist/turnover ratio this season, dishing out 21 assists compared to 13 turnovers. Bailey Beckstedt is another player to be aware of when the ball is in her hands as she has posted a 1.90 assist/turnover ratio with 19 assists and ten turnovers.
• Thomas, Beckstedt, and McCutcheon have each made their presence known on the defense side of the ball as Thomas leads the team with 2.3 steals per game while Beckstedt and McCutcheon both average 1.3 steals.
• McCutcheon and Piage Julian have made it difficult for opponents to get shots off by leading the team with 0.8 and 0.7 blocks per game.
• Kyle Cooper is in his seventh season as the head coach at West Liberty with a career record of 96-75 with the Hilltoppers.

DAVIS & ELKINS STORYLINES

• Davis & Elkins enters Saturday's game with a record of 0-5 (0-3 MEC) on the year following an 82-66 loss on the road to Wheeling on Wednesday evening.
• Through five games the Senators are averaging 58.0 points, 40.2 rebounds, 11.6 assists, 10.0 steals, and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting the ball 35.3 percent from the field, 22.3 percent from 3-point range, and 60.4 percent from the free throw line.
• D&E is led by a pair of players who average double figures in scoring with Kaylee Milburn leading the team with 11.0 points per game while Taylor Smith has added 10.2 points.
• Smith has knocked down a team-high seven 3-pointers this season while shooting 25.9 percent from beyond the arc. LaChazity Shaver is second on the team with five 3-pointers and is 23.8 percent from deep.
• Milburn also adds a team-high 1.2 blocks per game, following a four block performance against the Cardinals a few nights ago.
• Marissa Berlin is the team leader in rebounding, averaging 7.3 rebounds per game to go along with 6.0 points per game. She has reached double figure rebounds on two occasions, with one resulting in a double-double against Frostburg State when she totaled 13 points and ten rebounds.
• While adding 8.0 points per game, Alexis Smith leads the Senators with 2.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
• Donna Carr is in her second season as the head coach at Davis & Elkins, posting a career record of 7-25 during her time with the Senators.

SERIES HISTORY

• West Liberty holds a 37-13 lead in the all-time series and has won six of the last seven meetings dating back to 2019-20 when Davis & Elkins joined the MEC.
• The Hilltoppers secured their fifth straight win over the Senators with a 90-60 victory inside the ASRC on January 25, 2023.
• Karly McCutcheon scored a game-high 22 points in the most recent match-up against D&E, shooting 6-of-11 from 3-point range while adding seven rebounds and four assists. Grace Faulk also contributed 14 points with four 3-pointers and six rebounds in the win.