This week: The Notre Dame College women's basketball team will host West Virginia Wesleyan College on Wednesday Feb. 2 at 5:30 p.m., before they hit the road and travel to Davis & Elkins College on Saturday Feb. 5 at 2:00 p.m.
 
Records: NDC enters Wednesday at 8-11 (7-7 MEC) and in seventh place in the Mountain East Conference. WVWC enters this week at 2-13 (1-12 MEC) and in the 12^th and final spot in the MEC. Lastly, D&E is 5-14 (2-12 MEC) this season and in 11^th place in the MEC.
 
Coaches Corner: Imani Gordon is the head coach of the Notre Dame College women's basketball team in her first season. Gordon has been a member of the program since 2017-18 when she served as an assistant. Brett Vincent is in his first season at the helm of the West Virginia Wesleyan program. Rachel Swartz is currently in her second season heading the D&E women's basketball team.
 
Rankings: None of these teams are ranked in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Poll.
 
Series History: Notre Dame touts 16-1 record all-time when facing WVWC, dating back to 2013-14 and including NDC's 58-51 victory back on Dec. 11. The Falcons are a perfect 4-0 all-time against Davis & Elkins, dating back to their first meeting in 2019-20 and including NDC's 61-48 win over the Senators back on Dec. 8.
 
Noting the Falcons: Notre Dame College is fresh off of their road victory against Fairmont State on Monday, 84-73. The win is a big one for NDC who overcame a second half deficit against a dangerous FSU team which is top five nationally in scoring offense. Moreover, the win snaps a six-game losing streak for the Falcons after a treacherous stretch through MEC play. During the contest, Alana Ellis stepped up massively with a game-high and career-high 31 points, fueled by 5-7 shooting from three, another career-best. Marina Adachi (3-6 3FG) and Tamia Ridley (7-10 FG) contributed 16 points apiece which matches each of their season-highs. In addition, Ridley generated her eighth double-double of the season during the win with a game-high 14 rebounds, as Lilee Carlson tallied ten points and a career-high seven boards. Amil Ali-Shakir was NDC's main facilitator with a game-high five assists, which ties her career mark.
 
After her career-night, Ellis continues to headline this Notre Dame offense with her team-leading 15.9 ppg. Carlson is the only other NDC Falcon to average double figures at 11.6 ppg. Ridley clocks in as the Falcons third leading scorer at 9.1 ppg and a dominant 12.2 rpg.
 
Stacking up against the MEC, Ellis ranks eighth in scoring while Carlson checks in at 22^nd. Ridley continues to pace the Mountain East in rebounding, while being seventh amongst all of NCAA Division II. Furthermore, Carlson is tenth in assists per game (2.8), while checking in at seventh in minutes per game.
 
For the season, Notre Dame averages 67.0 ppg (8^th MEC) and allows 74.6 ppg (9^th MEC). NDC is shooting 38.9% from the floor (7^th MEC) and 32.0% from three (5^th MEC). The Falcons allow opponents to shoot 43.0% from the floor (9^th MEC) and 28.7% from three (T-3^rd MEC). In looking at rebounding and turnover margin, NDC grabs 38.4 boards per game (8^th MEC) and has a TO margin of -1.9 (6^th MEC).
 
Noting the Bobcats: West Virginia Wesleyan College enters this week on a 12-game skid, as the Bobcats have not won a contest since Nov. 20 against Frostburg State. Last week, WVWC fell on Wednesday 82-78 to Wheeling during a back-and-forth contest that featured 18 lead changes. Tamera Maple paced the Bobcats with a team-high 21 points on 5-7 shooting from three. Courtney Wilfong added a double-double with 20 points and ten assists, as Electra Allembert contributed 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds. On Saturday, West Virginia Wesleyan lost to West Liberty 75-44, as Symphonie Bryant-Brown was the lone Bobcat to reach double figures with 11 points. Cierra Tolbert gathered a game-high 14 rebounds, as Allembert claimed ten boards.
 
For the season, Bryant-Brown (11.8 ppg) and Wilfong (11.1 ppg) are WVWC's top two scorers and the only two player averaging double figures. Stacking up against the MEC, Bryant-Brown is 21^st in scoring, Tolbert is sixth in rebounds per game (9.1) and Wilfong averages the second most minutes at 36.5.
 
On the season, the Bobcats are last in the conference in scoring at 57.5 ppg, while allowing the 5^th most points on defense with 74.5 ppg. In addition, WVWC is last in the MEC in scoring margin (-17.0), last in field goal percentage (34.5%) and tied for sixth in opponent field goal percentage (41.6%). In terms of rebounding and turnovers, West Virginia Wesleyan is fifth on the glass at 40.8 rpg and 11^th in turnover margin at -7.5.
 
Noting the Senators: Davis & Elkins is coming off a busy week last week in which they went 1-2, with losses to Charleston (90-72) and West Liberty (87-54) and a win against Wheeling (62-53). During the win on Saturday, Dream Cherry scored a team-high 20 points, as Peyton Mohler contributed a 16-point and 10-rebound double-double. Moreover, the Senators also played on Monday Jan. 31, when they lost 68-65 at home to West Virginia State. Mohler gave a valiant effort during the loss by posting a game-high 22 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks.
 
The Senators are led by a trio of double-digit scorers in, Cherry (16.3 ppg), Marissa Berlin (12.6 ppg) and Mohler (10.6 ppg). Berlin is the top post presence for D&E by grabbing 10.1 rebounds per game to average a double-double. Dream ranks sixth in the MEC in scoring average and seventh in assists per game (3.0 apg), while Berlin is fifth in the conference in rebounds per game.
 
For the season, Davis & Elkins is one of two MEC teams to score below 60.0 ppg (59.8 ppg), but the Senators are middle of the road in the Mountain East for scoring defense at 73.6 ppg. D&E is ninth in field goal percentage (37.3%) and eighth in three-point percentage (29.1%), while being a top half team in opponent field goal percentage (6^th at 40.5%) and opponent three-point percentage (6^th at 29.9%). Lastly, Davis & Elkins is a bottom three team in rebounding (36.3 rpg) and turnover margin (-3.8).