This week: Notre Dame College will travel to Wheeling Jesuit and Urbana for two MEC road games this week. NDC will play at WJU tomorrow, January 17, before heading to Urbana on Saturday, Januray 20. Tomorrow's game will begin at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday's will tip at 2 p.m.
Records: The Falcons are 12-5, 8-2 MEC after winning two home conference games last week against Shepherd and Fairmont State. Wheeling Jesuit is 6-10, 4-6 MEC after losing to Concord and UVa-Wise. Urbana is 9-5, 7-3 MEC after also defeating SU and FSU at home.
Coaches Corner: Lauren Macer is in her first season as the head coach of the Notre Dame women's basketball program. She currently has a record of 12-5. Debbie Buff is in her seventh season at Wheeling Jesuit. Buff is 105-86 in her time at WJU. Andrea McCloskey is also in her first season at the helm of Urbana. She is 9-5 so far in her debut year.
Rankings: None of the teams playing this week were ranked in the January 16 Women's Basketball Coaches Association poll.
Series History: NDC is 6-4 against Wheeling Jesuit since joining the NCAA Division II ranks prior to the 2012-13 season. The Falcons beat the Cardinals 67-50 earlier this year. Notre Dame is 8-3 against Urbana and have beaten the Blue Knights in each of their past three match ups.
MEC Elite: With Glenville State sitting atop the Mountain East standings with a conference record of 10-0, it is a battle for second place this weekend between Notre Dame and Urbana. The Falcons are currently second in the conference with an 8-2 MEC record, but Urbana trails by just one game at 7-3. If both teams remain in their positions going into Saturday, that game would give NDC a chance to solidify its place, and give the Blue Knights a chance to move up a spot.
Noting the Falcons: Notre Dame has returned to its early-season shooting habits as the team has made 30 three-point field goals over the past three games. The Falcons rank third in the MEC this season with 9.47 threes per game and are first in the conference in shooting percentage from distance. NDC makes nearly 40 percent (39.6) of its attempts from beyond the arc, a mark that is 4.4 percent higher than the second-best team.
Kim Cook (49.3) and
Seina Adachi (42.1) are big parts of the team's shooting ability as they rank first and second in the Mountain East in three-point field goal percentage.
Noting the Cardinals: Only 1,803 shots have been taken in the 15 Wheeling Jesuit games played so far this season. At a rate of 120.2 per game between both teams, they rank second-to-last in the MEC in shot production per game. At this slow pace the Cardinals have been able to keep their opponents to just 70.7 points per game, a defensive mark that is second best in the conference despite being worst in the Mountain East at defending shots. WJU opponents have made 43.9 percent of their shots this season. But holding opponents to a lower shot count doesn't translate to wins for WJU; it's their own shot count that they want to keep down. In losses this season, the Cardinals' opponents have averaged 60.4 shots compared to 59.67 in games Wheeling Jesuit wins. That's not even a full shot difference. But when forced to keep up with their opponent's pace, that's when WJU struggles. In wins this season, the Cardinals have taken an average of 56.67 shots, but in losses they have averaged 63.3; a difference of 6.63.
Noting the Blue Knights: Urbana boasts one of the strongest duos in the league. Stefanie Davis and Sylvia Hudson provide a one-two punch for the Blue Knights as they both rank among the best in the MEC. Davis (16.2 points per game) and Hudson (15.8 ppg) each rank in the top 10 in scoring. Hudson ranks in the top 10 in rebounds per game (7.6), field goal percentage (55.7), blocked shots average (0.71) and free throw percentage. Davis leads the league in assists per game (5.29) and is third in steals average (2.36). Davis, a senior guard averages nearly eight more minutes per game than her sophomore counterpart, but they rank first and second on their team in time spent on the court.
