This week: The Notre Dame College women's basketball team will host Wheeling University on Wednesday Jan. 19 at 5:30 p.m., before traveling down to Alderson Broaddus University on Saturday Jan. 22 for a 2:00 p.m. tip-off.

Spectator Reminder: No spectators will be allowed to enter Murphy Gymnasium on Wednesday.
 
Records: NDC begins this week at 7-7 (6-3 MEC) and in fifth place in the Mountain East Conference. WU enters this week at 2-10 (2-6 MEC) and in ninth place in the MEC. AB sets up shop at 6-6 (4-5 MEC) and in eighth place in the MEC. In addition, the Battlers will host West Liberty on Wednesday before their matchup with the Falcons on Saturday.
 
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 2017-18. Matt Schmidt is tasked with the head coaching duties for Wheeling and is in his first season. Summer Quesenberry is in her second season as head coach of Alderson Broaddus and holds a career record of 13-17.
 
Rankings: None of these teams are ranked in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Poll.
 
Series History: NDC is 13-5 all-time when facing Wheeling, dating back to their first meeting in 2013-14. Notre Dame is a perfect 2-0 against Alderson Broaddus, since their first meeting in 2020-21.
 
Noting the Falcons: Notre Dame is coming off a busy week inside the MEC where they went 1-2. On Monday, NDC bested Frostburg State at home 69-60, behind the double-double performances of Alana Ellis and Tamia Ridley. Ellis scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds, as Ridley scored 12 points and snagged a game-high 16 rebounds. On Wednesday, Notre Dame fell narrowly on the road to West Virginia State, 64-62. Once again, Ellis paced the Falcons on offense with a game-high 16 points, as Jen Oduho added 14, Ridley added 12, Marina Adachi added 11 and Lilee Carlson added nine. Moreover, Ridley collected a game-high 13 rebounds to notch her seventh double-double of the season. On Saturday, Notre Dame dropped a heartbreaker in double overtime to Charleston, 79-72. Ellis paved the way for NDC with a team-high 22 points, followed by Carlson with 20 and Oduho with 19.
 
On the season, the aforementioned Ellis leads Notre Dame in the scoring department at 16.6 points per game (ppg). Oduho (13.9 ppg) and Carlson (10.6 ppg) are the other two Falcons to average double figures on the season. Moreover, Ridley scores 9.4 ppg and collects 12.6 rebounds per game (rpg).
 
Stacking up against the MEC, Ellis ranks sixth in the conference in scoring average (16.6 ppg) and Oduho is tied for 13^th (13.9 ppg). Ridley continues to tout the top rebounding mark across the Mountain East (12.6 rpg) and the seventh best clip amongst all of NCAA Division II. Lastly, Oduho claims the third best free throw percentage at 87.3% (48-55) and Carlson dishes out the ninth most assists with 2.8 assist per game (apg).
 
On average for the season, NDC scores 66.6 ppg on 38.2% shooting (31.1% from three), while surrendering 73.3 ppg on 42.0% (26.5% from three) shooting from the field. Notre Dame has lost the rebounding battle by an average of 2.7 rpg, and have lost the turnover battle by an average of 1.7 per game.
 
Noting the Cardinals: Wheeling begins this week on a five-game losing streak after dropping their most recent contests on Jan. 5 and 8. On Jan. 5, Wheeling was stifled at home by Glenville State, 141-55. GSC forced WU into 40 team turnovers and as a result, scored 63 points off turnovers, including 49 fast break points. A bright spot for the Cardinals was Lauren Calhoun's double-double when she scored 14 points and collected 12 rebounds. On Jan. 8, Wheeling lost on the road 84-66 to Concord. Calhoun led the way once more with a team-high 21 points and eight rebounds in a game that the Cardinals played much better. WU lost the rebounding and turnover battles each by one.
 
For the season, the aforementioned Calhoun is the leader for this Wheeling team as she scores 17.3 ppg and collects 9.8 rpg. Amongst the MEC, the center ranks tied for third in scoring average, while being fifth in rebounds per game and fifth in field goal percentage (54.2%). Shanley Woods is the only other Cardinal to average double figures this season at 10.8 ppg, as she nets 2.4 three-point field goals per game (T-6^th MEC).
 
On average for the season, Wheeling scores 64.3 ppg on 37.8% shooting (30.7% from three), while allowing 81.8 ppg on 44.6 % shooting (30.5% from three) from the floor. The Cardinals are out-rebounded by an average of 5.0 rpg and turn the ball over 3.7 more times than their opponent.  
 
Noting the Battlers: Alderson Broaddus is entering the week after an 0-2 sequence during the last seven days. On Wednesday, AB fell 96-76 at home to Fairmont State. The Battlers were led by Nyshae' Weaver (22 points, 10 rebounds) and Iyahnna Williams (18 points, 11 rebounds), who each generated double-doubles during the contest. AB out-rebounded FSU by ten, but the Battlers committed nine more turnovers than the Falcons. On Saturday, Alderson Broaddus came up just short to West Virginia State 90-84. Hannah Taylor led all scorers with 30 points and added 12 rebounds to generate another Battler double-double. Ariyah Douglas added 16 points on 4-8 shooting from three.
 
On average for the season, Alderson Broaddus features a very balanced offense with five different Battlers scoring in double figures. Williams is the team leader at 13.9 ppg, followed by Taylor with 13.4 ppg, Weaver with 12.2 ppg, Taylor Isaac with 11.0 ppg and Douglas with 10.8 ppg. Stacking up against the MEC, Williams is tied for 13^th in scoring average, while Taylor is 17^th and Weaver is 20^th. Moreover, Weaver is eighth in the conference in rebounding (8.0 rpg), while Isaac is tied for third with 2.6 three-point field goals made per game, and Williams is seventh in field goal percentage at 52.5%.
 
On average for the season, Alderson Broaddus plays an up-tempo game by averaging 80.9 ppg on 44.8% shooting (26.5% from three), while allowing 89.7 ppg on 43.5% shooting (27.8% from three). AB is normally a very good rebounding team by out-rebounding opponents by 7.5 rpg. However, the Battlers are undisciplined in the turnover department by coughing the ball up an average of 11.1 more times than their opponent.