This Week: The Notre Dame College women's basketball team will host West Virginia State University on Wednesday Jan. 11 at 5:30 p.m., before traveling to the University of Charleston on Saturday Jan. 14 for a 2 p.m. tip-off.
 
Records: NDC begins the week at 4-10, including 3-5 inside the Mountain East Conference. WVSU sits at 11-2 (6-2 MEC), while UC is 12-2 (7-1 MEC).
 
Coaches Corner: Imani Gordon is in her second season as the head coach of Notre Dame College, holding a career record of 19-24. Charles Marshall is the head coach of WV State in his sixth season. Lastly, Tianni Kelly is in her third year with Charleston, maintaining a career record of 54-14.
 
Rankings: The University of Charleston checks in at No. 13 in the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Poll.
 
Series History: Notre Dame College holds a 13-5 all-time record against West Virginia State, dating back to their first meeting in 2013-14 and including a 1-1 split last season. NDC is in 11-9 when squaring up against the University of Charleston, dating back to their first meeting in 2013-14 and including UC's pair of victories last season.
 
Noting the Falcons: Last week, Notre Dame College went 1-1, beginning with a 69-59 victory at Frostburg State on Wednesday. Redshirt sophomore Alana Ellis led the Falcons with a team-high 18 points, as NDC led for the entire 40 minutes. On Saturday, NDC fell 70-56 at home to Fairmont State.
 
On the year, Ellis paces the NDC offense with 18.1 points per game, ranking seventh in the MEC. She also leads the team in field goals made (91) and attempted (249), three-point field goals attempted (82) and free throws attempted (54).
 
Freshman Noel Weathers checks in at 9.0 ppg, as she leads the team and ranks 12^th in the MEC with 6.6 rebounds per game. In addition, the freshman also posts the top field goal percentage (48.3%) and blocked shots (11) on the team.
 
Senior Marina Adachi tallies 8.5 ppg, as she is the Falcons top three-point threat. Adachi boasts team-highs in three-point field goals made (24) and three-point percentage (42.1%).
 
Lastly, junior Lizzie Imrie stuffs the stat sheet by scoring 7.0 ppg, grabbing 6.0 rpg and leading the team with 30 assists.
 
As a team, Notre Dame averages 62.9 ppg on 37.7% shooting from the floor, 29.8% shooting from three and 66.8% shooting from the free throw line. Moreover, the Falcons claim 32.4 rebounds per game (-9.5 margin), 10.4 assists per game, 9.4 steals per game and 2.4 blocks per game.
 
Noting the Yellow Jackets: Last week, West Virginia State picked up three wins. First, the Yellow Jackets took out Bluefield State 101-93 on Monday, before dismantling Davis & Elkins on Wednesday 103-72. WVSU rounded out their week on Saturday with a 79-69 win at West Virginia Wesleyan. Destiny Fields paced the Yellow Jacket offense with a pair of 20-point games on Monday and Saturday.
 
For the year, Fields has led a balanced WV State offense which features three double-digit scorers. Fields (13.5 ppg), Anysa Jordan (12.1 ppg) and Shelby Harmeyer (10.4 ppg) are the main scoring threats for West Virginia State, as Fields and Jordan rank 14^th and 18^th in the MEC, respectively.
 
Fields as the most made baskets (62) and best field goal percentage (49.6%) on the squad, while Jordan has taken the most shots (126) and Harmeyer poses the top three-point threat.
 
Emyah Fortenberry secures the fourth-most rebounds per game in the conference (9.0), as Hannah Shriver sits at top the league with 4.8 apg.
 
As a unit, West Virginia State scores 88.6 ppg on 38.6% shooting from the floor, 28.4% shooting from three and 70.3% shooting from the free throw line. The Yellow Jackets corral 52.5 rpg (+6.8 margin), 16.2 apg, 15.1 spg and 3.9 bpg. WV State is the top team in the country in terms of rebounding and offensive rebounding (24.6 offensive rpg) and third in scoring offense.
 
Noting the Golden Eagles: Last week, the University of Charleston took care of business in the MEC with a 2-0 sweep of WV Wesleyan and Davis & Elkins. Trinity Palacio led the team on both occasions with 18 points in the 71-51 victory over WVW, and 19 points in the 73-64 win at D&E.
 
Palacio is the clear leader on the Golden Eagles team, averaging 16.1 ppg on a team-high 77 made field goals and 166 shots taken. She also leads the team in free throws made (58) and attempted (70) and free throw percentage (82.9%), as she ranks tied for ninth in scoring for the MEC.
 
The graduate student also has a knack for facilitating, leading the team and ranking fourth in the MEC with 3.9 apg. Moreover, Palacio flashes the top assist to turnover ratio in the league at +1.8.
 
Markyia McCormick (12.8 ppg) and Dakota Reeves (11.2 ppg) are the Golden Eagles other double-digit scorers. McCormick is second on the team in field goals and free throws, as Reeves is the top three-point scorer.
 
UC deploys an ultra-balanced rebounding attack as Reeves corrals a team-high 4.9 rpg.
 
As a whole, Charleston averages 73.4 ppg on 44.4% shooting from the floor, 38.1% shooting from three and 74.3% shooting from the charity stripe. UC secures 36.4 rpg (+3.2 margin), 12.0 apg, 7.4 spg and 2.8 bpg. The Golden Eagles enter the week as the eighth-best three-point shooting team in the country.