Storylines – vs University of Charleston
Led by one of the league's top players, Jordyn Peck, Charleston begins the second half of Mountain East Conference play coming off a 79-65 win over West Virginia State on Thursday. In the win, Peck posted 27 points while Anna Hayton and Darian Apperson turned in a double-double. Hayton posted 11 points and 13 rebounds while Apperson put up 11 points and 10 rebounds. In an 85-72 loss to UVa-Wise in November, Charleston received 24 points from Peck but struggled on the glass. The Cavaliers grabbed 12 offensive rebounds en route to winning the battle of the glass 31-24. While Peck averages a league-high 19.8 points per game, the Golden Eagles rank last in the MEC in scoring offense at 64.2 points per game. Charleston also struggles from beyond the arc, Adam Collins' team makes just 30.3 percent of its long range shots while putting in an average of 5.53 3-pointers per contest.
About UVa-Wise
UVa-Wise enters Saturdays' game coming off its best offensive and its worst defensive game of the season. The Cavaliers upended the Concord Mountain Lions 97-91 in Athens, W.Va. Thursday. In the win,
Ashley Cullen erupted for a career-high 22 points on 7-10 shooting. The sophomore guard added five rebounds while making seven of nine free throws in the win. Ten UVa-Wise players scored in the win, including the senior trio of
Makenzie Cluesman,
Taylor Sandidge and
Kayla Carey. Cluesman posted 19 points, five rebounds and five assists while Sandidge tallied 16 points in just 18 minutes of play, Carey scored 15 points and grabbed five rebounds. The 97 points were a season-high as was the 57.1 percent field goal shooting by
Kristin Kunzman's team. On defense, UVa-Wise surrendered a season-high 91 points while allowing Concord to make 44.3 percent of its field goal attempts. Seemingly, the only familiar facet of Thursday's game was the rebounding battle. The Cavaliers claimed the battle of the boards 42-28 and continue to lead the conference in rebounding battle at plus 10.9. In conjunction with the win and other results in the MEC, UVa-Wise is back in a first place tie for the MEC lead at the half way mark of the league schedule. The Cavs begin the second half of the league season by playing three of its first four games on the road. In its win at Charleston earlier this season, the senior trio provided the bulk of the offense. Carey posted a team-high 20 points while Sandidge (18) and Cluesman (17) combined for 35 points. As a team, UVa-Wise shot 50.8 percent from the floor while making 18 of 21 free throws.
