This Week: The Notre Dame College women's basketball team hosts West Liberty University on Wednesday Feb. 28 at 5:30 p.m. Next, the Falcons welcome Salem University into Murphy Gymnasium on Saturday Mar. 2 at 2 p.m. for senior day.
 
Records: NDC enters the week at 8-18 (5-14 MEC). WLU sits at 9-17 (6-12 MEC), while SU holds a 4-22 record.
 
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 85-49 career record. Kyle Cooper is in his seventh season leading West Liberty, while Nikayla Edgell heads the Salem women's basketball program in her first year.
 
Rankings: None of these teams are ranked according to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) poll.
 
Series History: NDC holds an 11-12 all-time record against West Liberty, dating back to their first meeting in 2013-14 and including the Hilltoppers 84-75 victory back on Nov. 21 in West Liberty. Noel Weathers tallied a career-high 25 points in the loss. Notre Dame is 3-0 all-time when facing Salem, dating back to their first meeting in 2012-13 and including the Falcons 65-58 victory back on Jan. 27 in Salem. NDC outscored SU 25-11 in the fourth quarter, holding the Tigers to just two points over the final four minutes of play to pick up the road win.
 
Noting the Falcons: Last week, Notre Dame battled the top two teams in the Mountain East Conference, in Fairmont State and Frostburg State. On Wednesday, the Falcons fell to the Bobcats 80-67 as Weathers set the NDC single season blocks record, which had stood for 27 years. On Saturday, Notre Dame fell to Fairmont State 92-64.
 
NDC is paced by Weathers' team-high in points (12.3), rebounds (8.8) and blocks (2.3). The sophomore ranks first in the MEC in rebounds and blocks, and 18^th in points, while also seated 11^th in the entire country in blocks per game. Moreover, the Cincinnati, Ohio native now owns the most blocks in a single season (60) in NDC program history, breaking Joni DePiore's record from 1995-96. Lastly, the Mt. Healthy High School product boasts a team-high seven double-doubles on the year.
 
Harris checks in next at 10.1 ppg, leading the Falcons in three-pointers made (44), attempted (115) and percentage (38.3%).
 
A slew of Falcons in Carlson (9.6), Karli Anker (9.4), McDaniel (8.1) and Richardson (7.8) offer additional offensive support. Carlson and Richardson tag-team the facilitating duties, totaling 66 and 49 assists, as Carlson ranks 15^th in the MEC. All four players, including Mallory Hullinger have made at least 11 three-pointers on the year.
 
Carlson joins Weathers as top 10 shot-blockers in the league, ranking tied for sixth at 0.9. In addition, the junior leads the team with 34 steals.
 
As a team, Notre Dame averages 67.2 points per game on 40.3-percent shooting from the floor, 31.7-percent from three and 65.9-percent from the free throw line. The Falcons add 35.4 rebounds per game (-5.6 margin), 12.0 assists per game, 8.2 steals per game and 4.5 blocks per game. NDC ranks first in the MEC and tied for 17^th in the country in blocks per game.
 
Noting the Hilltoppers: Last week, West Liberty split their contests, as WLU fell to Glenville State 86-64 on the road Wednesday evening. Jenna Riccardo led the way with a game-high 22 points and nine rebounds in the loss. On Saturday, WLU bested Concord in a shootout, 110-103, as Corinne Thomas tallied 34 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
 
Thomas leads a quartet of double figure scorers for WLU at 19.0 ppg. Karly McCutcheon (14.4), Bailee Smith (13.3) and Riccardo (12.4) add to the scoring attack, as they rank third, ninth, 13^th and 17^th in the MEC, respectively. The trio of Thomas (37.7%), McCutcheon (34.4%) and Smith (39.1%) all pose a threat from downtown, making 92, 65 and 54 three-pointers respectively.
 
The Hilltoppers do a good job passing the ball as four players rank in the top eight in assists per game in the league. Smith (3.8), Baliey Beckstedt (3.4), Thomas (3.2) and McCutcheon (3.2) are seated fourth, tied sixth, tied eighth and tied eighth, respectively.
 
On the glass, Riccardo (6.9) and Thomas (6.2) tag-team the rebounding duties, ranking eighth and 13^th in the MEC.
 
As a whole, West Liberty averages 77.0 points per game on 41.4-percent shooting from the floor, 36.0-percent shooting from three and 72.2-percent shooting from the free throw line. The Hilltoppers add 36.5 rebounds per game (-4.8 margin), 17.7 assists per game, 6.8 steals per game and 3.3 blocks per game. WLU ranks tied for eighth in the country in assists per game and 11^th in points per game.
 
Noting the Tigers: Last week, Salem's losing streak ran to seven straight games as the Tigers fell to Fairmont State and Frostburg State each by the score of 72-63. Anna Machytkova led SU on both occasions with 16 and 14 points.
 
Elena Pericic highlights Salem as the lone double-digit scorer at 13.5 ppg. Other scorers in Teodora Popovic (9.5), Emerson Wells (9.1), Carine Pinkey (8.7) and Liliana Krause (8.0) add to the Tiger offense. Pericic leads the team in field goals made (130) and attempted (290), while Wells boasts team-highs in three-pointers made (65), attempted (155) and percentage (41.9%). Wells ranks 20^th in the NCAA Division II in three-point percentage.
 
Pinkey (3.0) and Pericic (2.3) facilitate the offense as the top ballhandlers. Pericic (8.3) and Krause (5.3) are the leading rebounders on the squad.
 
As a unit, Salem averages 62.7 points per game on 42.0-percent shooting from the floor, 35.0-percent shooting from three and 70.4-percent shooting from the free throw line. The Tigers add 37.2 rebounds per game (-0.3 margin), 12.8 assists per game, 6.0 steals per game and 3.8 blocks per game. SU ranks 23^rd in the country in three-point percentage.