This week: Notre Dame College will start the 2018 portion of its season on the road at Glenville State and West Virginia Wesleyan. The Falcons will play the Pioneers at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 4, before playing the Bobcats at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 6.
 
Records: The Falcons are 9-4 after a mid-December trip to Honolulu where the lost to No. 7 Drury and defeated Chaminade. NDC is also 5-1 in conference play. Glenville State is 10-1, 6-0 MEC as the team hasn't lost since their second game of the season on November 12. Wesleyan is 5-7, 3-3 MEC after winning recently against Johnson C. Smith on December 31.
 
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 9-4. Kim Stephens is in her second season at the helm of the Pioneers' program. Stephens led Glenville State to an MEC Regular Season Championship in her first year and has an overall record of 34-7 in her career. Vicky Bullett is also in her first season as the head coach at West Virginia Wesleyan. She is 5-7 so far this season.
 
Rankings: Glenville State is the No. 23 team in the December 21 Women's Basketball Coaches Association poll. Neither of the other teams playing were ranked.
 
Series History: NDC is 2-6 against Glenville State since joining the NCAA Division II ranks in 2012-13. The Pioneers are on the three-game winning streak against the Falcons as NDC has not won since January 4, 2016. Notre Dame is 7-1 against Wesleyan after losing for the first time last season on January 5.
 
Atop the Mountain: In the first game coming back from winter break, Notre Dame will take on Glenville State. Currently these two teams are leading the Mountain East Conference Standings as NDC is 5-1 and GSC is 6-0. The Falcons have a chance to swap places with the Pioneers should they win the match up, while Glenville State has an opportunity to put some distance between themselves and their closest competition.
 
Noting the Falcons: Three of Notre Dame's four losses this season have come at the hands of ranked opponents, all in the top 10 of the WBCA polls at the time of their meetings, so the Falcons will be looking to prove themselves among the nation's best once again. NDC has showed strength in these games as, most recently, they played a close 63-60 game against No. 7 Drury and challenged No. 10 California early in the season. Marisa Finazzo will look to continue her success at point guard as she leads the MEC in assist/turnover ratio (2.14). Overall, Finazzo is tied for a league-high 60 assists.
 
Noting the Pioneers: Glenville State puts up more shots than anyone in the Mountain East (87.5 field goal attempts pet game) as well as more three-point shots (41.1). One of the big reasons for this volume shooting is the Pioneers' ability to cause turnovers. GSC opponents average nearly 28 turnover per game, 17 of which are normally steals. Despite the turnovers, opponents have also put up around 65 shots per game, which would rank fifth in the MEC. Paris McLeod leads Glenville State with 20.3 points per game as one of just three players to average over 20. Courtney Davis balances McLeod with a presence in the post. The six-foot forward is second in the MEC with 10.4 rebounds per game and third with 1.9 blocks per game.
 
Noting the Bobcats: West Virginia Wesleyan is on the opposite end of the conference rankings as they are 11th (of 12) in the league with 16.4 three-point field goal attempts per game. It's a smart move by the Bobcats as they are the least efficient program, making just 26.4 percent of their shots from distance. Mari Stewart is one of the top players for WVWC. Stewart ranks 17th in the MEC in scoring (13.6), sixth in rebounds (9.1) and first in free throw percentage (96.6).