West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's basketball team will make their long awaited return to the ASRC on Wednesday evening as they tip-off the 2024 calendar year against Frostburg State. The Hilltoppers, who will play their first home contest since December 9, are scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. start time against the Bobcats in their return to MEC play.

GAME DETAILS

• Location: West Liberty, W.Va. (Academic Sports & Recreation Complex "ASRC")
• Tip-Off: 5:30 P.M.

WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty enters Wednesday's game with a record of 5-7 (3-2 MEC) on the season and looks to snap a 5-game losing streak following a 100-68 loss at No. 1 Ashland on December 18.
• In the return to Mountain East Conference action, the Hilltoppers are currently fourth place in the league standings.
• Through 12 games, WLU is averaging 72.8 points, 34.8 rebounds, 17.1 assists, 8.5 steals, and 2.5 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 38.0 percent from the field, 34.5 percent from 3-point range, and 67.1 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 (11.0), fourth in 3-point attempts per game (31.9), and 17^th in assists per game (17.1).
• The Hilltoppers are led by a trio of players who are averaging double figures as Corinne Thomas ranks third in the MEC and averages 17.6 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 11.4 points per game.
• Thomas has five 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 DII. Thomas is tied for first nationally with 3.67 3-pointers per game and is sixth with 44 total 3-pointers, while McCutcheon is 17^th with 2.75 3-pointers per game and is 26^th with 33 total 3-pointers. Thomas is 44-of-120 for 36.7 percent and McCutcheon is 33-of-100 for 33.0 percent from deep.
• The Hilltoppers have recorded double digit 3-point field goal totals in nine of their 12 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.
• Jenna Riccardo averages a team-high 5.6 rebounds per game and has secured five or more boards on eight occasions, including a season-high of nine in a road contest at Walsh. She ranks fifth in the MEC with 3.1 offensive rebounds per game.
• Thomas and Smith have been the facilitators of the Hilltopper offense. Thomas leads the team and ranks fourth in the league with 3.8 assists per game and is fifth with 45 total assists, while Smith ranks sixth in both categories with an average of 3.3 assists per game and 40 total assists. The pair has dished out four or more assists on six and five occasions respectively.
• Defensively, Thomas ranks sixth in the league with 27 total steals and is seventh with an average of 2.25 steals per game. She has tallied eight 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 0.7 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 97-80 with the Hilltoppers.

FROSTBURG STATE STORYLINES

• Frostburg State enters Wednesday's game with a record of 7-5 (5-1 MEC) on the season following an 89-80 loss at home to Bowie State on December 31.
• In the return to Mountain East Conference action, the Bobcats are currently second place in the league standings.
• Through 12 games FSU is averaging 73.0 points, 40.5 rebounds, 12.7 assists, 7.7 steals, and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting the ball 42.1 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from 3-point range, and 75.6 percent from the free throw line.
• Frostburg State ranks within the top-25 of NCAA Division II in two statistical categories, ranking eighth in free throws made per game (16.75) and 20^th in free throw attempts per game (22.17).
• The Bobcats are led by DII's leading scorer, Emilee Weakley, who is averaging 25.3 points per game in 2023-24. Weakley has notched 20 or more points in seven games and scored a season-high of 40 points against Charleston and Glenville State. She is joined in double figures by Maggie Sharp (11.2) and Jenna Muha (10.8).
• Sharp is the top 3-point shooter for FSU, ranking third in the MEC in 3-pointers per game (2.75), total 3-pointers (33), and 3-point percentage (40.2%). She ranks 17^th, 26^th, and 42^nd nationally in those respective categories.
• As one of the top teams from the charity stripe, Frostburg State has three players within the top-4 of the conference in free throw percentage as Muha ranks second (79.5%), Weakley is third (79.5%), and Ciara Thomas is fourth (78.9%).
• Muha leads the Bobcats on the glass this season, ranking second in the conference with 8.5 rebounds per game and additionally ranks fourth with 3.5 offensive rebounds per game. She has recorded eight or more boards in nine games, including a season-high of 17 against UC.
• Alanna Tate and MacKenzie Freeze are the facilitators of the FSU offense, averaging 2.8 and 2.2 assists per game. The pair has recorded four or more assists three times apiece this season.
• Defensively, Weakley (1.2) and Tate (1.1) lead the team in steals per game, collecting four and two multi-steal games respectively.
• Jasmine Johnson is the rim protector for Frostburg State, ranking second in the MEC in both blocks per game (1.25) and total blocks (15). She has posted multi-block games on five occasions.
• Jenna Eckleberry is in her second season as the head coach at Frostburg State with a record of 16-26 during her time with the Bobcats. In her tenth season overall as a collegiate head coach, she holds a 134-125 career record after spending eight prior seasons at Shepherd.

SERIES HISTORY

• West Liberty leads the all-time series 7-1.
• The Hilltoppers saw their 7-game win streak against the Bobcats snapped in the most recent meeting, a 99-94 defeat in overtime at Bobcat Arena in Frostburg, Maryland, on February 15, 2023.
• Karly McCutcheon scored a career-high 33 points as she shot 6-of-8 from 3-point range and added six rebounds. Corinne Thomas also scored 23 points and was 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, while notching eight rebounds and three assists.