This Week: The Notre Dame College women's basketball team heads to Frostburg State University on Wednesday Jan. 17 at 5:30 p.m. Next, the Falcons return home to host Fairmont State on Saturday Jan. 20 at 2 p.m.
 
Records: NDC begins the week at 4-10 (2-6 MEC). Frostburg State enters at 7-7 (5-3 MEC), as Fairmont State is 12-2 (7-1 MEC).
 
Coaches Corner: Lauren Macer is back at the helm of the Notre Dame College women's basketball team in her second stint and fifth season as head coach. Macer, the 2019-20 MEC Coach of the Year, maintains an 82-42 career record. Jenna Eckleberry leads Frostburg State in her second season. Stephanie Anderson is in her fifth season with Fairmont State, totaling a 72-48 career mark.
 
Rankings: Fairmont State checks in ranked No. 13 in the country according to the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) poll.
 
Series History: NDC owns a 7-1 all-time record against Frostburg State, dating back to their first meeting in 2019-20 and including the series split last season, as both teams won on the road. Notre Dame is 12-8 all-time when facing Fairmont State, dating back to their first meeting in 2013-14 and including FSU's pair of victories last season.
 
Noting the NDC Falcons: Last week, Notre Dame dropped both contests beginning on Wednesday to WV State, 82-56. Sophomore Noel Weathers registered a monster double-double with 20 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks and four steals. On Saturday, NDC fell at Charleston, 73-53 as Weathers owned 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocks.
 
The aforementioned Weathers headlines Notre Dame College, ranking 13^th in the Mountain East Conference at 13.1 points per game. Moreover, the Mt. Healthy High School product leads the MEC in rebounds per game (8.8) and blocks per game (2.4), as the Cincinnati, Ohio native is seated 13^th in the entire country in blocks per game. Moreover, the sophomore has already amassed 33 blocks on the season, the sixth-most in NDC single season history, including the most since Molly Ritz (38) in 2012-13. Weathers also posts team-highs in field goals made (76) and attempted (168) and steals (19).
 
Kennadi Harris (9.9 ppg) and Lilee Carlson (9.6 ppg) round out the top three scorers for NDC. Harris ranks first in the MEC and tied 17^th in the country by shooting 43.5-percent from three. The redshirt junior is also tied eighth in the conference with 1.9 three-pointers made per game. Carlson registers the most efficient shooting mark for the Falcons with a 51.5-percent shooting from the floor.
 
Cencere McDaniel (8.6 ppg), Rachel Richardson (8.1 ppg) and Karli Anker (7.4) offer additional offensive support, as Carlson and Richardson facilitate the offense at 32 and 28 assists, respectively. Carlson is 17^th in the MEC in assists, and tied 22^nd in assists per game (2.3).
 
As a whole, Notre Dame averages 66.8 points per game on 40.3-percent shooting from the floor, 30.2-percent shooting from three and 63.3-percent shooting from the free throw line. The Falcons add 35.7 rebounds per game (-6.6 margin), 12.7 assists per game, 8.8 steals per game and 4.3 blocks per game. NDC is first in the MEC and tied for 33^rd in the country in blocked shots per game.
 
Noting the Bobcats: Last week, Frostburg State fell on both occasions, beginning on Wednesday with an 84-77 defeat at West Liberty, despite 33 points from Emilee Weakley. On Saturday, FSU lost to Wheeling at home, 68-59 as Weakley totaled 16 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Weakley is the heart and soul to the Bobcats team, ranking first in the entire country with 25.2 points per game, nearly four points per game clear of second. The forward boasts team-highs in field goals made (92) and attempted (205). The sophomore is also second on the team rebounds (7.5) and free throw percentage (79.6%), good for sixth and third in the MEC, respectively.
 
Jenna Muha (10.6 ppg), Maggie Sharp (10.3 ppg) and Alanna Tate (9.0 ppg) are other scoring threats for Frostburg State. Muha leads the team and is second in the league in both rebounds (8.2) and free throw percentage (80.0%). Sharp is the team's three-point threat, touting team-highs in three-pointers made (33) and attempted (93), ranking fifth in the MEC in three-pointers per game (2.4). Tate orchestrates the offense with a team-high 38 assists, 13^th in the MEC.
 
The Bobcats are a strong rebounding team and alongside, Muha and Weakley, Jasmine Johnson is also top 10 in the conference in boards at 6.9. FSU owns three of the top seven rebounding marks in the league, as Tate also checks in at 5.2 in 21^st. Johnson is also second in the MEC at 1.3 blocks per game.
 
As a team, Frostburg State averages 72.3 points per game on 41.6-percent shooting from the floor, 30.5-percent shooting from three and 75.0-percent shooting from the free throw line. The Bobcats add 40.8 rebounds per game (+4.9 margin), 12.3 assists per game, 7.4 steals per game and 2.6 blocks per game.
 
Noting the FSU Falcons: Last week, Fairmont State got dealt their first loss inside the MEC, falling 72-70 at Wheeling in overtime as four players registered double figures. The Falcons bounced back on Saturday, taking out West Liberty 89-72 on the home floor with Jalen Gibbs leading the way with 26 points on 13-15 shooting from the floor.
 
Fairmont State touts a potent offense with four players averaging double figures. Alyssa DeAngelo leads the way for FSU at 21.5 points per game, ranking second in the country and second in the MEC. DeAngelo has scored in double figures every game this season, and owns team-highs in field goals made (96) and attempted (220), three pointers made (39) and attempted (104) and free throws made (70) and attempted (81). DeAngelo is first in the conference in free throw percentage (86.4%) and second in three-pointers made per game (2.8).
 
Gibbs (13.6), Katy Darnell (13.2) and Leslie Huffman (11.9) round out the double digit scoring for Fairmont State, as the trio ranks tied for seventh, 12^th and tied for 16^th in the MEC, respectively. Moreover, Gibbs (6.9), Darnell (6.6) and Huffman (5.7) are also the team's top three rebounders, ranking tied for eighth, 11^th and 18^th in the league, respectively.
 
Madeline Huffman is the glue to the FSU offense, boasting the top assist to turnover ratio (1.8) and the most assists per game (5.0) in the conference. M. Huffman is also tied 24^th in the country in assists per game.
 
Defensively, Gibbs is seated top 10 in the MEC in both blocks per game (1.1) and steals per game (2.3), while Aaliyah Brunny (0.9 blocks per game) and Darnell (2.9 steals per game) offer additional support.
 
As a unit, Fairmont State averages 80.4 points per game, on 46.3-percent shooting from the floor, 37.6-percent shooting from three and 67.1-percent shooting from the free throw line. The Falcons add 33.4 rebounds per game (-5.0 margin), 14.0 assists per game, 12.7 steals per game and 2.5 blocks per game. Amongst NCAA Division II, FSU ranks fifth in three-point percentage, tied for sixth in points per game, 13^th in field goal percentage and tied for 17^th in steals per game.