This week: The Notre Dame College women's basketball team will travel to West Virginia State University on Wednesday Jan. 12 at 5:30 p.m. before returning to South Euclid to host the University of Charleston on Saturday Jan. 15 at 2:00 p.m.

Spectator Reminder: No spectators will be allowed to enter Murphy Gymnasium on Saturday.
 
Records: NDC begins this week at 7-5 (6-1 MEC) and in second place in the Mountain East Conference. WVSU is currently 7-3 (3-2 MEC) and in fifth place in the MEC. UC sits at 5-5 (3-3 MEC) and in eighth place in the MEC.
 
Coaches Corner: Imani Gordon is in her first season as the head coach of the Notre Dame College women's basketball program, after serving as an assistant with the team since the 2017-18 season. Charles Marshall is at the helm of West Virginia State in his sixth season as head coach. Tianni Kelly is in her second season as the head coach for Charleston and holds a 24-7 career record.
 
Rankings: None of these teams are ranked in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Poll.
 
Series History: NDC is 12-4 all-time when facing WVSU, dating back to their first meeting in 2013-14. Notre Dame holds an 11-7 record all-time against UC, dating back to 2013-14.
 
Noting the Falcons: Notre Dame's last time out was earlier this week on Monday Jan. 10 when the Falcons beat the FSU Bobcats 69-60 inside Murphy Gymnasium. Only five players scored for NDC as Alana Ellis led the way with a game-high 21 points, followed by Jen Oduho with 16, Lilee Carlson with 14, Tamia Ridley with 12 and Marina Adachi with 6. Ridley and Ellis both generated double-doubles with Ridley claiming a game-high 16 rebounds and Ellis cleaning a career-high 10 boards. Notre Dame dominated Frostburg State in the paint, by out-rebounding the Bobcats 51-35, including 20 offensive rebounds which were turned into 20 Falcon points. NDC also scored 40 second chance points compared to FSU's 28.
 
In 12 games for Notre Dame, Ellis has consistently led the Falcons in scoring at 16.2 points per game (ppg). Oduho is the other NDC Falcon to average double figures at 13.5 ppg, as the senior scores efficiently touting a 48.3% (14-29) clip from behind the arc and a free throw percentage of 86.8% (46-53). Carlson and Ridley check in at 9.9 ppg and 9.6 ppg, respectively.
 
Stacking up against the Mountain East Conference, Ellis registers the seventh best scoring mark (16.2 ppg) and Oduho ranks 13^th (13.5 ppg). In addition, Oduho registers 86.8% shooting from the charity stripe, which is tied for the third best in the MEC. Carlson dishes out the eighth most assists per game in the MEC at 2.9. Ridley has been a dominant factor on the glass by cleaning 13.2 boards per game, the top mark across the conference and the sixth best amongst all of NCAA Division II. Moreover, Ridley has now registered five-straight double-doubles and six in her last seven contests.
 
On average for the season, Notre Dame scores 66.6 ppg on 37.9% shooting from the field, however the Falcons are allowing 73.6 ppg on 43.1% shooting. NDC is also losing the rebounding battle by an average of 2.0 rpg.
 
Noting the Yellow Jackets: West Virginia State enters this week after having both of their previous two contests postponed. WVSU last played on Jan. 3 when they fell at home to Elizabeth City State, 89-77.  The Yellow Jackets were led by a balanced scoring attack which featured five different players in double figures, with Alana Kramer, Shelby Harmeyer and Hannah Shriver leading the way with 12 points apiece. Kramer shot an efficient 6-7 from the floor while Shriver added a game-high five assists and four rebounds.
 
For the season, WVSU is led by Charity Sears (10.8 ppg) and Destiny Fields (10.6 ppg) who are the two Yellow Jackets to average north of 10.0 ppg. Moreover, Shriver (9.7 ppg), Harmeyer (9.6 ppg) and Kramer (9.1 ppg) are the other main offensive threats for West Virginia State, a team that can score from a number of different ways. Emyah Fortenberry is the Yellow Jackets main presence in the paint, as the forward leads the team in rebounding at 8.8 rpg, the seventh best mark across the Mountain East Conference.
 
On average for the season, WVSU scores 77.6 ppg on 35.9% shooting from the floor, while allowing 75.2 ppg on 42.8% shooting from the floor. The Yellow Jackets are -1.6 in the rebounding battle per game but are +6 on average in the turnover department each game.
  
Noting the Golden Eagles: The University of Charleston enters this week after a month-long hiatus due to COVID-19 postponing four straight contests. The Golden Eagles last stepped foot on the hardwood back on Dec. 13 when they dismantled Wheeling 94-46 at home. Clarrissa Francis paced all scorers with 21 points, followed by Dakota Reeves with 18 and Markyia McCormick with 12. Reeves was an efficient and effective 5-6 from three-point land during the contest, and she also grabbed six rebounds and a game-high five assists.
 
For the season, UC is led by Francis who is yet to start a contest for the Golden Eagles. Francis is averaging 13.3 ppg on 62.1% shooting, while only playing the fifth most minutes on the team at 16.1 mpg. McCormick is the other Golden Eagle to average double-figures at 12.9 ppg, as the scoring duo ranks 15^th and 17^th, respectively in the conference.
 
On average for the season, Charleston scores 68.2 ppg on 39.7% shooting, while allowing 63.9 ppg on 36.7% shooting. The Golden Eagles are a healthy +6.8 in terms of the rebounding battle per game, but are -1.3 in the turnover department per game.