The Notre Dame College Falcons travel to West Liberty to take on the MEC's top team when they battle the Hilltoppers at the Athletic Sport and Recreational Complex ("ASRC") on Wednesday evening. The game is scheduled to tip at 7:30 PM and you can catch all the action on NotreDameFalcons.com
Assistant Coach John Wakelin talked about the mindset of the team coming into the contest:
" Our focus has been great. We will learn from the loss on Saturday. Our preparation has been good all week- and- we will come ready to play."Wakelin said.
Head Coach Tim Koenig agreed:
" We had a clinic on Sunday. The Mayfield Adaptive Clinic was a good clinic- it was high energy and fun. Everytime you take a loss you reflect on it- so now we need to turn the page. It ain't getting any easier- as we know that if we do not play well West Lib has been embarassing teams all year. They have beaten teams by 55-60 points." Koenig said.
Koenig talked about the four things that will be key:
Transition defense- keeping them off the offensive glass- loose balls- and- defending the 3-point line coupled with getting back in transition. They hurt us from the 3-point line in the first meeting- especially Yoakum- and- Bolon." Koenig stated.
NDC (19-7 15-5 MEC) is coming off a 92-87 loss to Virginia Wise at home on Saturday. Will Vorhees led the way with 37 points and nine rebounds- Drew Scarberry buried six 3-pointer's on his way to 21 points- Isaiah Sanders added 13- and- Bruce Hodges tallied a double-double with 11 points- and- 10 rebounds. The Falcons shot 46 percent from the field- 35 percent from the 3-point line (10-29-) and- 76 percent (19-25) at the free throw line.
Koenig talked about the law of averages possibly working in the Falcons favor on Wednesday:
" Will Vorhees played really well on Saturday- after that no one really played as well. Larenz had a bad game which was a fluke if you asked me."
Sanders talked about simplifying things:
" We have to execute-and- make the right plays one play at a time. We need to take good shots. This game will have to take a team effort just like every game. If we play harder than them one play at a time I love our chances."
Hodges expanded on Sanders thoughts:
" This is a big big game for us. We need to come out and do what we do. Play our game- and- be fundamentally sound against a team like this. We must show great discipline- and- I believe we can beat them- they are beatable."
NDC comes into the contest scoring a MEC sixth best 86.9 points per game- while they are allowing a MEC third best 79.0 points per contest. They have been good on the glass- where they are +5.1 on the season (39.8-34.7.) NDC also is averaging more than an assist (15.3-14.1) more per game than the opponent.
Vorhees- who was named the MEC Player Of The Week for the third consecutive week- and- fifth time this season on Monday- and- the U.S. Writer's Association National Player Of The Week for the third straight week leads the season box score averaging a league second best 28.5 points per game- and- a league best 11.2 rebounds per game. The redshirt senior whose number 41 will be retired by NDC at season's end is second in the MEC in blocks per game (1.40.) Larenz Thurman is second on the team in scoring at 17.6 points per game- which is good for 11th best in the conference. The junior from Wilmington, DE is second in the MEC in both assists (5.2 per game-) and- 3-point percentage (46 percent.) Sanders is also averaging in double figures at 12.1 per game. The freshman from Sickerville, NJ is sixth in the MEC in free throw shooting- shooting at a 85 percent clip. Hodges is seventh in the MEC in steals averaging 1.7 per game- and- is second in assist to turnover ratio in the conference (3.0-1.) Thurman is sixth in the league in assists to turnover ratio at 2.05-1.
West Liberty (22-3 18-2 MEC) beat Glenville State 98-77 last time out. Dalton Bolon led the Hilltoppers with 21 points on Saturday- Yahel Hill- and- Will Yoakum each scored 15- while Eric Meininger chipped in 12. Evan French rounded out the double digit scorers with 10. They shot 44 percent from the field- 31 percent from the 3-point line- and- a perfect six of six at the free throw line. The Hilltoppers crushed the Pioneers on the boards 55-36. West Liberty is the top scoring team in the MEC averaging 103.7 points per game- while defensively they allow a league 11th best 89.3 points per night. West Liberty is the top team in point differential in the conference.
Bolon is the top scorer for the Hilltoppers scoring a MEC third best 22.2 points per night. He is averaging a league 10th best 6.6 rebounds per night. Yoakum is putting up 14.5 points per game- Meininger is scoring 13.2 a contest- and- a MEC sixth best 7.8 rebounds per night. Hill also averages double figures at 13.0 points per game. Luke Dyer is 4th in the MEC in assists at 4.2 per game- and- is fifth in the league in steals.
Wakelin talked about some keys against West Liberty:
" They play a unique style. We need to handle there pressure- and- keep them off the glass. If we do those things we have a good chance. We need to be more on edge on defense because of the type of players they have. We need to limit the open three's that they have- as they play 10 guys who can shoot the 3-ball."
Koenig talked about a few keys of his own:
" We need to limit the turnovers- and bad shots. Obviously guarding the 3-point line is key against this team as well. Yoakum and Bolon really hurt us in the first meeting (a 103-93 West Liberty win in December.) We need to do a good job of breaking the full-court pressure as well. In the first meeting we got 75 points from three guys (HP- Will- and- Larenz.) HP (Halil Parks) was the two man in the press break- that is Scarberry now- and- that guy will get a lot of opportunities. Obviously Bruce will play a lot more than in the first meeting as well."
Koenig talked specifically about defense:
" We need to defend better. In the first meeting they got some layups in transition- and- a fair amount of 3-pointer's off of turnovers. They made shots in the first meeting- but not many guarded shots."
Lastly Koenig talked about execution- and- when they have been at there best this season:
" We need to execute- and- let the chips fall. We have played our best this season when our backs have been against the wall. Our backs are definitely against the wall now."
Other MEC Games:
West Virginia State @ Concord
West Virginia Wesleyan @ Fairmont State
Glenville State @ Shepherd
Urbana @ Wheeling Jesuit
Charleston @ Virginia Wise
MEC Standings:
West Liberty 18-2 (22-3)
Fairmont State 16-4 (19-7)
NDC 15-5 (19-7)
Charleston 13-7 (18-8)
Concord 12-8 (17-9)
Shepherd 9-11 (13-13)
West Virginia State 9-11 (12-14)
West Virginia Wesleyan 7-13 (10-16)
Wheeling Jesuit 7-13 (8-18)
Virginia Wise 6-14 (9-17)
Glenville State 5-15 (10-16)
Urbana 3-17 (5-19)
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