This Week: The Notre Dame College women's basketball team jumps back into conference play as the Falcons host West Virginia State University on Wednesday Jan. 10 at 5:30 p.m. Next, NDC travels to the University of Charleston on Saturday Jan. 13 at 2 p.m.
 
Records: Notre Dame begins the week at 4-8 (2-4 MEC). WVSU sits at 6-6 (3-3 MEC), while UC is 5-7 (2-4 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 82-40 career record. Charles Marshall is the head coach of West Virginia State in his eighth season. Tianni Kelly enters her fourth season with Charleston, amassing a 71-28 record.
 
Rankings: None of these teams are ranked nationally according to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) poll.
 
Series History: NDC is 13-7 all-time when facing WV State, dating back to their first meeting in 2013-14 and including the Yellow Jackets pair of victories last season. The Falcons are 11-11 all-time against Charleston, dating back to their first meeting in 2013-14, and including the Golden Eagles pair of wins last year.
 
Noting the Falcons: Last week, Notre Dame traveled to Lake Erie College and defeated the Storm 56-54 in the final seconds. Sophomore Noel Weathers rejected six shots for the second straight contest, including nabbing the game-sealing steal, resulting in a pair of Cencere McDaniel game-winning free throws.
 
The Falcons deploy a trio of top 25 scorers in the Mountain East Conference in Weathers (12.4 points), Kennadi Harris (10.8 points) and Lilee Carlson (10.4 points), ranking 13^th, t-22^nd and 25^th respectively. Weathers leads the team in field goals made (62) and attempted (143), while Carlson touts the top field goal percentage (54.4%). Harris is the team's three-point threat, owning team-highs in three-pointers made (26), attempted (58) and percentage (44.8%), as the redshirt junior is first in the MEC and tied for 16^th in NCAA Division II in three-point percentage.
 
Rachel Richardson (8.7 points), Cencere McDaniel (8.3 points) and Karli Anker (7.6 points), round out the scoring effort for NDC. Richardson and Carlson tag-team the facilitating duties at 25 and 24 assists, respectively.
 
On the glass, Weathers leads the team and ranks third in the MEC with 8.3 rebounds per game. McDaniel joins the rebounding effort at 4.6 rpg.
 
Defensively, Notre Dame ranks first in the MEC and 38^th in the country at 4.2 blocks per game. Weathers powers the Falcons stifling defense with 25 blocks on the season, 10 more than any other player in the conference. The Mt. Healthy High School product ranks tied for 20^th in the nation and first in the MEC with 2.1 blocks per game. Carlson joins the defensive prowess seated tied for seventh in the league at 0.8 blocks per game.
 
As a team, Notre Dame averages 68.8 points per game on 41.2-percent from the floor, 30.1-percent from three and 66.0-percent from the free throw line. The Falcons add 36.3 rebounds per game (-4.8 margin), 12.6 assists per game, 9.2 steals per game and 4.2 blocks per game.
 
Noting the Yellow Jackets: Last week, West Virginia State defeated Bluefield State, 80-67 as ZZ Russell scored a game-high 17 points.
 
WV State flashes a balanced scoring attack led by Shelby Harmeyer's team-high 10.6 points per game, ranking t-24^th in the MEC. Harmeyer leads the team in field goals made (44) and attempted (128) and three-pointers made (26) and attempted (93).
 
Anysa Jordan (9.5 ppg), Imani Reid 9.1 ppg) and Russell (8.2 ppg) also contribute offensively for the Yellow Jackets. Hannah Shriver facilitates the offense with 3.1 assists per game.
 
Similar to their offense, WV State deploys a balanced rebounding effort paced by Emyah Fortenberry's 7.8 rebounds per game. Jordan (5.8 rpg), Makayla Smith (5.5 rpg), Harmeyer (5.2 rpg) and Fields (5.0 rpg) round out the balanced rebounding attack.
 
Fortenberry offers defensive support, ranking tied fifth in the MEC at 0.9 blocks per game and 11^th in the conference at 1.9 steals per game. Caroline Scott carries the team on the defensive side of the ball, ranking tied sixth in the MEC at 2.3 steals per game.
 
As a whole, West Virginia State averages 77.5 points per game on 35.3-percent shooting from the floor, 23.7-percent from three and 64.4-percent from the free throw line. The Yellow Jackets add 48.8 rebounds per game (+2.5 margin), 16.0 assists per game, 16.8 steals per game and 2.6 blocks per game. WVSU ranks atop the NCAA Division II in rebounds per game and fifth in steals per game.
 
Noting the Golden Eagles: Last week, Charleston took out UVA-Wise 77-71 on the home court. Three players scored in double figures as Taylor Austin tallied a game-high 19 points.
 
Charleston boasts three double-digit scorers in Clarrissa Francis (11.8), Austin (11.6) and Nia Vanzant (11.0), to be 15^th 16^th and 21^st in the conference, respectively. Francis touts an efficient mark from the field, ranking first in the MEC and 14^th in country at 58.3-percent. Austin is the top three-point threat for the Golden Eagles, with team-highs in three-pointers made (17), attempted (39) and percentage (43.6%). Five Charleston players boast double-digit three-pointers made on the year.
 
UC is facilitated by Austin's team-best 3.9 assists per game, ranking top three in the conference.
 
A balanced rebounding effort is led by Francis' team-high 5.9 rpg, placing her 14^th in the MEC. Haley Moore (5.3 rpg) and Austin (4.9 rpg) also grab boards for UC.
 
As a unit, Charleston averages 67.9 points per game on 43.1-percent shooting from the floor, 32.9-percent shooting from three and 66.1-percent shooting from the charity stripe. The Golden Eagles add 34.9 rebounds per game (+0.6 margin), 11.0 assists per game, 9.6 steals per game and 1.8 blocks per game.