West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's basketball team returns to the hilltop this weekend as they face MEC traditional power (RV) Glenville State. The Hilltoppers and Pioneers are scheduled for a 4 p.m. tip-off inside the ASRC on Saturday afternoon, delayed two hours from the originally scheduled time due to the winter weather conditions.

GAME DETAILS

• Location: West Liberty, W.Va. (Academic Sports & Recreation Complex "ASRC")
• Tip-Off: 4 P.M.

WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty enters this weekend's game with a record of 6-9 (4-4 MEC) on the season following a 92-86 loss at Concord on Wednesday evening.
• The Hilltoppers are currently tied for seventh place in the league standings with Charleston.
• Through 15 games, WLU is averaging 74.3 points, 35.8 rebounds, 17.1 assists, 7.7 steals, and 2.8 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 39.5 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from 3-point range, and 67.7 percent from the free throw line.
• West Liberty ranks within the top-25 of NCAA Division II in four statistical categories, ranking second in 3-pointers per game (10.7), fourth in 3-point attempts per game (30.3), 13^th in assists per game (17.1), and 23^rd in 3-point percentage (35.4%).
• The Hilltoppers are led by four players who are averaging double figures as Corinne Thomas ranks third in the MEC and averages 18.3 points while Karly McCutcheon ranks eighth in the league with 13.7 points per game. Bailee Smith and Jenna Riccardo add scoring averages of 12.1 and 10.5.
• Thomas has seven games of 20 or more points this season while McCutcheon has added three. Smith recorded her first 20-point game of the season with 25 points at Concord on Wednesday.
• The duo of Thomas and McCutcheon are two of the top shooters from beyond the arc in DII. Thomas is second nationally with 3.47 3-pointers per game and is fourth with 52 total 3-pointers, while McCutcheon is 22^nd with 2.67 3-pointers per game and is 26^th with 40 total 3-pointers. Thomas is 52-of-142 for 36.6 percent and McCutcheon is 40-of-117 for 34.2 percent from deep.
• The Hilltoppers have recorded double digit 3-point field goal totals in 11 of their 15 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 seven or more boards on eight occasions, including a season-high of ten in a win over Frostburg State. She ranks tenth in the MEC with 2.7 offensive rebounds per game. Thomas is second on the team with 5.4 rebounds per game.
• Following a 20 point and ten rebound performance against Fairmont State, Thomas has a pair of double-doubles to lead the Hilltoppers. McCutcheon and Riccardo have each added one double-double in 2023-24.
• Thomas, Smith, and Bailey Beckstedt have been the facilitators of the Hilltopper offense. Thomas leads the team and ranks third in the league with 3.9 assists per game and 59 total assists, while Smith ranks fourth in the conference with an average of 3.7 assists per game and is fifth with 56 total assists. Beckstedt rounds out the group with an assists per game average of 3.1 that ranks ninth in the conference and a total assist mark of 46 that is eighth. As they both dished out six assists against the Mountain Lions on Wednesday, Smith and Thomas have each recorded four or more assists on eight occasions while Beckstedt has five times.
• Defensively, Thomas ranks seventh in the league with 32 total steals and an average of 2.13 steals per game. She has tallied ten multi-steal games on the year and notched a season-high of four on four different occasions.
• McCutcheon has been the rim protector for the Hilltoppers, ranking sixth in the MEC with an average of 0.87 blocks per game and 13 total blocked shots. She has posted a season-high of three blocks on two occasions and Wednesday was her third multi-block game of the year.
• Kyle Cooper is in his seventh season as the head coach at West Liberty with a career record of 98-82 with the Hilltoppers.

(RV) GLENVILLE STATE STORYLINES

• Glenville State enters this weekend's game with a record of 11-4 (5-3 MEC) on the season following a 78-58 victory at home against Wheeling, extending their current win streak to five.
• The Pioneers are currently tied for fourth in the league standings with West Virginia State and Concord.
• Glenville, who has reached the NCAA Division II Elite Eight each of the past two seasons, has been receiving votes for the WBCA Coaches' Poll each of the last six ranking releases after dropping out of the top-25 in December.
• Through 15 games GSU is averaging 89.9 points, 40.9 rebounds, 16.1 assists, 18.9 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting the ball 40.4 percent from the field, 29.1 percent from 3-point range, and 62.5 percent from the free throw line.
• Glenville State ranks within the top-25 of NCAA Division II in nine statistical categories, leading the country in steals per game (19.3), 3-point attempts per game (35.7), and turnovers forced per game (32.73). They also rank second in scoring offense (89.9), third in offensive rebounds per game (19.0), 3-pointers per game (10.3), and turnover margin (12.67), seventh in bench points per game (35.7), and 17^th in free throw attempts per game (22.47).
• The Pioneers are led by a pair of the MEC's leading scorers as Hya Haywood ranks fourth with a scoring average of 17.1 and Lauren Calhoun is sixth with 14.9 points per game. Haywood has posted five games of 20 or more points this season while Calhoun has four times.
• Dream Cherry is the Pioneers top 3-point shooter who ranks sixth in the conference with 2.27 3-pointers per game and 34 total 3-pointers. Haywood is another scoring threat from deep as she ranks ninth with 25 total 3-pointers and tenth with 1.67 3-pointers per game. Cherry has 34-of-114 (29.8%) from beyond the arc while Haywood is 25-of-93 (26.9%) during 2023-24.
• Calhoun leads GSU with 7.9 rebounds per game and leads the MEC with 4.0 offensive rebounds per game. She has collected five double digit rebound games this season, leading to five double-doubles.
• Haywood is the facilitator of the Glenville State offense, ranking ninth in the conference with 44 total assists and tenth with an average of 2.9 assists per game. She has dished out five or more assists in three games this season.
• The Pioneer's defense is led by three players who average more than 2.0 steals per game. Haywood leads the conference with 3.73 steals per game and 56 total steals, Kamiyah Lyons ranks fourth with 2.80 steals per game and 42 total steals, and Zhordan Shannon is seventh with 2.13 steals per game and 32 total steals. Haywood has collected five or more steals in six games this year while Lyons has three times.
• Emily Stoller is in her first season as the head coach at Glenville State with a career record of 11-4 during her time with the Pioneers.

SERIES HISTORY

• Glenville State leads the all-time series 48-22 and has won 16 straight games dating back to 2016-17.
• The Pioneers swept the season series with an 86-61 win in the Waco Center in Glenville, West Virginia, on February 8, 2023.
• Karly McCutcheon and Corinne Thomas each scored in double figures with 15 and ten points respectively. Grace Faulk added eight rebounds in the game.