West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's basketball team is set to face their second top-10 opponent in a three game span when they travel to No. 9 Fairmont State on Saturday afternoon. The Hilltoppers look for their second straight win following the holiday break while the Falcons look to rebound after their first conference loss of the year in a 2 p.m. tip-off inside Joe Retton Arena.

GAME DETAILS

• Location: Fairmont, W.Va. (Joe Retton Arena)
• Tip-Off: 2 P.M.

WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty enters Saturday's game with a record of 6-7 (4-2 MEC) on the season following an 84-77 home win over Frostburg State to snap a 5-game losing streak.
• The Hilltoppers are currently fourth place in the league standings.
• Through 13 games, WLU is averaging 73.6 points, 35.2 rebounds, 17.2 assists, 8.2 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 38.5 percent from the field, 34.7 percent from 3-point range, and 66.3 percent from the free throw line.
• West Liberty ranks within the top-25 of NCAA Division II in three statistical categories, ranking second in 3-pointers per game (10.8), fourth in 3-point attempts per game (31.0), and 13^th in assists per game (17.2).
• The Hilltoppers are led by four players who are averaging double figures as Corinne Thomas ranks third in the MEC and averages 18.2 points while Karly McCutcheon, Bailee Smith, and Jenna Riccardo add 12.8, 11.9, and 10.2 points per game respectively.
• Thomas now has six games of 20 or more points this season after a season-high of 26 in the win over the Bobcats on Wednesday evening. McCutcheon has also notched a pair of 20-point performances.
• The duo of Thomas and McCutcheon are two of the top shooters from beyond the arc in DII. Thomas is first nationally with 3.69 3-pointers per game and is fourth with 48 total 3-pointers, while McCutcheon is 28^th with 2.54 3-pointers per game and is 42^nd with 33 total 3-pointers. Thomas is 48-of-128 for 37.5 percent and McCutcheon is 33-of-102 for 32.4 percent from deep.
• The Hilltoppers have recorded double digit 3-point field goal totals in nine of their 13 games this season, including 13 or more made from beyond the arc in five contests. McCutcheon and Thomas have each connected on a season-high six 3-pointers once this year.
• Riccardo averages a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game and has secured five or more boards on nine occasions, including a season-high of ten in Wednesday's win over Frostburg State. She ranks seventh in the MEC with 2.9 offensive rebounds per game.
• With 15 points and ten rebounds against the Bobcats, Riccardo earned her first double-double of the season, joining McCutcheon and Thomas as players to record one in 2023-24.
• Thomas, Smith, and Bailey Beckstedt have been the facilitators of the Hilltopper offense. Thomas leads the team and ranks fourth in the league with 3.7 assists per game and 48 total assists, while Smith ranks sixth in the conference with an average of 3.5 assists per game and 45 total assists. After tying a season-high of seven assists on Wednesday, Beckstedt is up to seventh in the league with 3.3 assists per game and 43 total assists. Smith and Thomas have dished out four or more assists on six occasions while Beckstedt has five times.
• Defensively, Thomas ranks seventh in the league with 29 total steals and is eighth with an average of 2.23 steals per game. She has tallied nine multi-steal games on the year and notched a season-high of four on four different occasions.
• At the basket, McCutcheon and Natalija Sekulovska have averaged a team-best 0.6 blocks per game. McCutcheon posted one game with three blocks, a team season-high, while Sekulovska has recorded three games with a pair of blocks.
• Kyle Cooper is in his seventh season as the head coach at West Liberty with a career record of 98-80 with the Hilltoppers.

#9 FAIRMONT STATE STORYLINES

• Fairmont State enters Saturday's game with a record of 11-2 (6-1 MEC) on the season following their first MEC loss of the year, a 72-70 loss in overtime on the road at Wheeling.
• The Falcons currently sit atop the league standings.
• Fairmont State is the only representative of the MEC in the WBCA Coaches' Poll, moving up three spots and breaking into the top-10 at No. 9 on Tuesday afternoon.
• Through 13 games FSU is averaging 79.7 points, 33.0 rebounds, 14.0 assists, 12.5 steals, and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting the ball 45.7 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from 3-point range, and 67.2 percent from the free throw line.
• Fairmont State ranks within the top-25 of NCAA Division II in eight statistical categories, leading the country in free throw attempts per game (26.46) while ranking third in free throws made per game (17.77), seventh in scoring offense (79.7) and 3-point percentage (37.5%), tenth in turnovers forced per game (24.31), 16^th in field goal percentage (45.7%), 18^th in turnover margin (+5.69), and 19^th in steals per game (12.5).
• The Falcons are led by DII's second leading scorer, Alyssa DeAngelo, who is averaging 21.5 points per game in 2023-24. DeAngelo has notched 20 or more points in seven games and scored a season-high of 39 points against Seton Hill. She is joined in double figures by Katy Darnell (13.6), Jalen Gibbs (12.6), Leslie Huffman (12.3).
• DeAngelo is also one of the top-3 point shooters in the MEC, ranking second in both 3-pointers per game (2.85) and total 3-pointers (37), while also ranking 14^th and 15^th nationally in the two categories. She is 37-of-99 for 37.4 percent from beyond the arc. Another player to watch for from 3-point range is Huffman who is 22-of-42 for 52.4 percent on the season.
• DeAngelo holds the highest free throw percentage in the conference, shooting 68-of-78 for 87.2 percent from the charity stripe.
• Gibbs leads the Falcons on the glass this season, ranking eighth in the conference with 6.9 rebounds per game and is seventh in the league with 2.9 offensive rebounds per game. She has grabbed seven or more rebounds on eight occasions and has posted one double-double. Katy Darnell is second on the team with 6.2 rebounds per game and has also secured one double-double this season.
• Huffman is the facilitator of the Fairmont State offense, dishing out a league high 4.7 assists per game and 61 total assists. She has recorded five or more assists in seven games this season.
• Defensively, Darnell ranks fourth in the conference with 2.77 steals per game while Gibbs is sixth with an average of 2.38. The pair has collected ten multi-steal games apiece, posting season-highs of six and five respectively.
• Gibbs is the rim protector for the Falcons, ranking third in the MEC in both blocks per game (1.15) and total blocks (15). She has posted multiple blocked shots in four games this year.
• Stephanie Anderson is in her fifth season as the head coach at Fairmont State, holding a career record of 71-48 during her time with the Falcons.

SERIES HISTORY

• West Liberty leads the all-time series 49-39.
• Fairmont State won their second consecutive win in the series in the quarterfinals of the MEC Tournament on March 2, 2023, in Wheeling with an 86-71 victory.
• Karly McCutcheon scored 17 points in the game and was 4-of-8 from 3-point range, while also grabbing six rebounds. Grace Faulk and Corinne Thomas added 11 and ten points respectively.