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Natalija Sekulovska vs. Glenville State
Olivia Bernola

Hilltoppers Host Wheeling in Return to Conference Play

1/28/2024 8:20:00 AM

West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's basketball team will return to MEC play on Sunday, January 28, inside the ASRC as they host Wheeling. The Hilltoppers and Cardinals are scheduled for a 2 p.m. tip-off on the hilltop.

GAME DETAILS
  • Location: West Liberty, W.Va. (Academic Sports & Recreation Complex "ASRC")
  • Tip-Off: 2 P.M.
WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES
  • West Liberty enters Sunday's game with a record of 7-10 (4-5 MEC) on the season following a 97-73 win at home over Salem on Wednesday evening.
  • The Hilltoppers are currently eighth place in the league standings.
  • Through 17 games, WLU is averaging 75.6 points, 36.1 rebounds, 17.8 assists, 7.4 steals, and 3.1 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 40.5 percent from the field, 36.1 percent from 3-point range, and 69.4 percent from the free throw line.
  • West Liberty ranks within the top-25 of NCAA Division II in five statistical categories, ranking second in 3-pointers per game (10.8), fourth in 3-point attempts per game (29.9), seventh in assists per game (17.8), 14th in 3-point percentage (36.1%), and 22nd in scoring offense (75.6).
  • Corinne Thomas leads the Hilltoppers in scoring with 18.9 points per game, ranking third in the conference and 22nd nationally. Amongst the MEC's scoring leaders she is also joined by Karly McCutcheon who is 12th in the league with 13.3 points per game. Rounding out the four players averaging double figures are Bailee Smith and Jenna Riccardo who average 13.2 and 10.8 respectively.
  • Smith and Thomas have been making their presence known in the last three outings as they each averaged more than 20 points per game in those contests. During that span Smith is averaging 22.7 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per game while shooting the ball 53.7 percent from the field, 59.1 percent from 3-point range, and 91.7 percent from the free throw line. Thomas is close behind with 21.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.3 steals per game while shooting the ball 42.9 percent from the field, 47.8 percent from 3-point range, and 94.7 percent from the free throw line.
  • Thomas has nine games of 20 or more points this season while McCutcheon and Smith have each added three. All of Smith's games occurred in the last three games for WLU.
  • The duo of Thomas and McCutcheon are two of the top shooters from beyond the arc in DII. Thomas leads DII with 61 total 3-pointers and 3.59 3-pointers per game, while McCutcheon is fourth in the MEC in both categories with 42 total 3-pointers and 2.47 3-pointers per game to rank 39th and 40th nationally. Smith leads the conference in 3-point percentage, knocking down 34-of-85 from deep for 40.0 percent while Thomas is 61-of-158 for 38.6 percent and McCutcheon is 42-of-127 for 33.1 percent from deep.
  • The Hilltoppers have recorded double digit 3-point field goal totals in 13 of their 17 games this season, including 13 or more made from beyond the arc in six contests. McCutcheon and Thomas have each connected on a season-high six 3-pointers once this year. Dating back to 2010 the WLU has made multiple 3-pointers in 412 consecutive games.
  • Riccardo averages a team-high 6.2 rebounds per game and has secured seven or more boards on ten occasions, including a season-high of 11 against GSU. She ranks tenth in the MEC with 2.5 offensive rebounds per game. Thomas is second on the team with 5.6 rebounds per game.
  • Thomas leads the team with three double-doubles this season while Riccardo and McCutcheon have two and one respectively.
  • Thomas, Smith, and Bailey Beckstedt have been the facilitators of the Hilltopper offense. Thomas leads the team and ranks third in the league with 3.8 assists per game while Smith is fifth with an average of 3.7 assists per game. After a career-high of eight assists against Salem, Beckstedt's season average jumped up to 3.4 assists per game and is eighth in the MEC. Smith has recorded four or more assists on nine occasions while Thomas and Beckstedt have eight and six times respectively.
  • Defensively, Thomas ranks seventh in the league with 38 total steals and is eighth with an average of 2.24 steals per game. She has tallied 12 multi-steal games on the year and notched a season-high of four on five different occasions.
  • McCutcheon has been the rim protector for the Hilltoppers, ranking fifth in the MEC with 15 total blocked shots and 0.88 blocks per game. She has posted a season-high of three blocks on two occasions and notched a total of four multi-block games this year.
  • Kyle Cooper is in his seventh season as the head coach at West Liberty with a career record of 99-83 with the Hilltoppers.
WHEELING STORYLINES
  • Wheeling enters Sunday's game with a record of 13-4 (8-2 MEC) on the season following a 71-53 win at home against Notre Dame on Wednesday evening.
  • The Cardinals are currently second place in the league standings.
  • Through 17 games WU is averaging 68.1 points, 37.3 rebounds, 12.6 assists, 9.8 steals, and 3.2 blocks per game while shooting the ball 41.3 percent from the field, 31.8 percent from 3-point range, and 73.4 percent from the free throw line.
  • The duo of Shamia Stayhorn and Briarley Rogers are the only two players to average double figures score for the Cardinals, with Strayhorn ranking ninth in the MEC with 14.3 points per game while Rogers adds 12.0 points per game. Strayhorn has notched a team-high of four games with 20 or more points this season while Graci Fairman adds two and Rogers has one.
  • Rogers is the top 3-point shooter on the team for Wheeling, connecting on 31-of-96 shots from deep for 32.3 percent. Another player to watch from beyond the arc is Fairman who is 22-of-43 for 51.2 percent.
  • Rachel Wilson leads the Cardinals on the glass, ranking eighth in the MEC with 6.9 rebounds per game. With the help of five double digit rebounding performances, she has notched a pair of double-doubles.
  • Kenzie Dalton is the facilitator of the WU offense, averaging 3.9 assists per game which is fourth best in the conference. She has dished out five or more assists on seven occasions, including once reaching double digits.
  • Kenzie Dalton ranks fourth in the league with 2.8 steals per game in 2023-24, including 13 multi-steal games.
  • Jacqui Hineson is the rim protector for the Cardinals, averaging 1.1 blocks per game. She has recorded five games with two or more blocked shots.
  • Anna Kowalska is in her second season as the head coach at Wheeling with a record of 27-19 during her time with the Cardinals. Overall, she is in her sixth season as a collegiate head coach, posting a career record of 94-70 with previous stops at West Virginia Tech and Life (Ga.)
SERIES HISTORY
  • West Liberty holds the all-time series lead 57-44 and has won eight of the past 11 meetings.
  • The teams last played on February 25, 2023, in the ASRC where the Hilltoppers prevailed 87-83 over the Cardinals.
  • Corinne Thomas scored 27 points on 6-of-8 shooting from 3-point range in the win over WU and added five rebounds. Grace Faulk also scored 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field.
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