GAME DAY CENTRAL
Edinboro (3-2, 2-0 PSAC) vs. West Liberty (1-4, 1-1 MEC)
When:  Monday, November 28, 2016
Where:  Edinboro Pa. – McComb Fieldhouse
Tip-off:  7 p.m.
Live Stats: CLICK HERE
Live Audio:  CLICK HERE
Gameday Program:  


ADDITIONAL LINKS
Edinboro: Roster | Schedule | Stats | 
West Liberty: Roster | Schedule | Stats | 


GAME STORYLINES

> Monday's matchup features a meeting between two of the most prolific coaches in Division II women's history. Edinboro's Stan Swank has recorded 536 career wins at Edinboro while West Liberty's Lynn Ulom sits at 525 wins for a combined 1,061 wins between them. Only 14 coaches in Division II women's basketball history have reached the 500-win milestone.

> Edinboro and West Liberty have been two of the top Atlantic Region teams in recent history. The Fighting Scots have recorded six straight 20-win seasons, totaling 145 wins while the Hilltoppers have notched five in a row for a total of 94 wins. Despite all the success the two teams have only met six times in history, with the last meeting coming in the 2012-13 season. 

> Some familiar faces will take to the hardwood for the Hilltoppers. Former Gannon player McKenna Shives is in her first year at West Liberty after transferring earlier in the year. The Hilltoppers also feature a pair of former District-10 standouts. Sophomore Brandi Beader played her high school ball at Hickory, earning All-Region and All-District accolades. Freshman Jaclyn Kitts was a two-year starter at Villa Maria, leading the squad to a second-place finish in the state tournament. 

ALL-TIME SERIES BREAKDOWN

All-Time Series:  Series is tied at 6-6.
First Meeting:  1998-89 – Edinboro 79, West Liberty 77
Last Meeting:  November 9, 2012 – Edinboro 90, West Liberty 71 (RECAP / BOX SCORE)
All five Fighting Scots starters scored in double-figures as the sixth-ranked Edinboro women's basketball team cruised to a 90-71 season opening victory. Darche' Jackson led Edinboro with a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds in just 24 minutes of action. Laurel Lindsay totaled 16 points while Kiara Brown and Samantha Blazetic contributed 13 and 12 points, respectively. Freshman Bobbi Baker dropped 10 points in her Edinboro debut as did freshman Aignee' Freeland in her first taste of action as a Fighting Scot. Leading 64-57 with just under ten minutes to play, the Fighting Scots orchestrated a 19-2 run over the next five minutes of play to put the game out of reach. The Edinboro defense forced 17 Hilltopper turnovers which they cashed in for 29 points. Hilary Southworth led West Liberty with 26 points while Meghan Wiseman added 21. 
Series Notes: The Fighting Scots snapped a four-game losing skid against the Hilltoppers in the last meeting.


LAST TIME OUT

Edinboro: November 20, 2016 – Edinboro 64, Shippensburg 57 (RECAP / BOX SCORE)

> The Fighting Scots concluded their PSAC opening weekend a perfect 2-0 in conference play following Sunday's comeback victory over the PSAC East preseason favorite, Shippensburg.

> Edinboro didn't take a lead in the contest until 2:27 remaining in the third quarter. Shippensburg led for 30:28 in the game after opening the game on a 15-4 run, including scoring the first nine points of the game.

> The Fighting Scots took advantage of 20 offensive rebounds for 26 second chance points. Senior Maggie Moore led Edinboro with 13 rebounds, including grabbing six offensive boards. 

> The backcourt duo of Katie Fischer and Michelle Jahn led the Edinboro offense with 20 and 12 points, respectively. It was Fischer's second 20-point outing in the past three games. 

> Once again, the Fighting Scots took advantage of turnovers, cashing in 16 Raider turnovers for 20 points. Edinboro forced 22 turnovers in Saturday's win over Millersville. 

West Liberty: November 21, 2016 – West Liberty 100 Urbana 49 (RECAP / BOX SCORE)

> The Hilltoppers recorded their first win of the season after an 0-4 start, shooting Mountain East Conference foe Urbana out of the gym to record a 100-49 victory. 

> West Liberty converted a season-high 14-of-37 3-pointers, four apiece Johnie Olkosky and McKenna Shives. The Hilltoppers also shot 47.3 pct. (35-of-74) from the field compared to Urbana's 21.3 pct. (16-of-75) and 3-of-19 shooting from beyond-the-arc.

> West Liberty dominated on the glass for a 61-44 rebound advantage. Brandi Beader led the Hilltoppers with 11 board to go along with her 13 points to record the double-double. 

> The Hilltoppers bench outscored the Urbana team as eight players played in reserve, totaling 54 points. Monica Bragg led the bunch with 16 points in just 17 minutes. 

EDINBORO STORYLINES

> After starting 0-2 for the second time under head coach Stan Swank, Edinboro avoided the first 0-3 start of Swank's career with a win over Daemen. The Fighting Scots have run off three straight wins, including opening conference play with victories at Millersville and Shippensburg this past weekend. 

> With last weekend's PSAC opening wins, the Fighting Scots opened conference play with a 2-0 record for the first time since the 2013-14 season.

> Quick hands have been the name of the game for Edinboro in the early going. The Fighting Scots have recorded at least 10 steals in all but one game this season. Edinboro's 58 total steals ranks second in the PSAC. In addition, Edinboro has forced the opposing team into over 20 turnovers all but once as well. Opponents average 21.8 turnovers per game against Edinboro while the Fighting Scots average just 14.6 themselves. 

> Led by the duo of Maggie Moore and Jontay Walton, bench play has been a huge advantage for the Fighting Scots this season. Moore is averaging 5.4 ppg. and a team-high 7.8 rpg. in 17.8 mpg. while Walton provides 8.2 ppg. and 4.6 rpg. in 25.4 mpg. The bench has scored over 15 points from their bench in every game this season

> As expected, PSAC West Preseason selection Katie Fischer leads the Edinboro offense from her point guard spot. A 2015-16 PSAC West second team selection, Fischer ranks 13^th in the PSAC at 14.8 ppg. The senior leads Edinboro with 18 assists and is second with 11 steals. 

> After making 9-of-43 3-pointers in the first team games of the season, Edinboro found the stroke from beyond-the-arc against Daemen to record their first win of the season. The Fighting Scots connected of 13-of-29 3-pointers, six of which came from Katie Fischer. Fischer finished with 29 points and a career-high 6-of-8 3-pointers. 

> Freshman Michaela Barnes was named the PSAC West Freshman of the Week. The 5'6'' guard averaged 8.6 ppg. during Edinboro's three-game win streak. Barnes has started all five contests this season, averaging 8.4 ppg. and 1.2 rpg.

WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

> The Hilltoppers enter Monday night's contest in search of their second win of the season. West Liberty is a surprising 1-4 after coming off back-to-back Mountain East Conference championship appearances and an appearance in the Sweet 16 last season. The Hilltoppers were picked to finish third in the MEC preseason coaches' poll. 

> West Liberty rolled over Urbana for their first victory of the season this past Monday, 100-49. The Hilltoppers led from horn-to-horn as they reached the century mark in points in a game for the fifth straight season. West Liberty converted on a season-high 14-of-37 3-pointers and dominated on the glass to the tune of a 61-44 rebound margin. The Hilltoppers bench outscored the Urbana team as eight players combined for 54 points off the bench for West Liberty. 

> West Liberty is feeling the effects of losing departed All-Americans Kiki Simpson and Kailee Howe, as well as a 2,000-point scorer in Liz Flowers. The Hilltoppers returned just two starters from last season's squad that went 29-5.

> Senior Emily Bucon and sophomore Johnie Olkosky are the lone starters remaining from last season. Olkosky is third on the team in scoring at 8.8 ppg. and leads the Hilltoppers in rebounding at 4.8 rpg. while Bucon is averaging 3.6 ppg. and 2.4 rpg. 

> The Hilltoppers are led by a very familiar face to the Fighting Scots. Junior guard McKenna Shives transferred from Gannon to West Liberty prior to this season and leads the Hilltoppers in scoring at 14.6 ppg. Shives is the only Hilltopper to average in double-figures and leads the squad with 21 3-pointers. In two meetings against the Fighting Scots last season while at Gannon, the 5'5'' guard averaged 15.5 ppg. 

> The Hilltoppers feature a pair of former District-10 standouts. Sophomore Brandi Beader played her high school ball at Hickory, earning All-Region and All-District accolades. Freshman Jaclyn Kitts was a two-year starter at Villa Maria, leading the squad to a second-place finish in the state tournament. 

THE COACHES

Edinboro: Stan Swank (Purdue '76, 536-294, 30th year)

> Head coach Stan Swank is in his 30th year as head women's basketball coach at Edinboro. 

> Swank has guided the Fighting Scots to an incredible 145-37 record the past six seasons, including six PSAC Tournament appearances, three PSAC Championships, three NCAA Tournament berths and a trip to the Elite Eight.

> Winning is nothing new to Swank as he is the winningest coach in Fighting Scots history and has had 23 winning seasons during his 29-year tenure while compiling a 536-294 overall mark. Add in four seasons as the head coach at Parkland Junior College, and Swank has 640 career collegiate victories.

> All told under Swank, Edinboro has reached the NCAA Division II playoffs ten times, with Edinboro qualifying for the PSAC postseason tournament 21 times. On ten of those occasions, the Fighting Scots have advanced to the championship game, winning the PSAC title in 1989-90, 2010-11, 2011-12, and 2013-14.

> In the NCAA Tournament, Swank has guided the Fighting Scots to the Final 32 four times, the Sweet 16 three times and the Elite Eight twice.

> Swank entered the 2016-17 campaign tied for 11th among active Division II coaches in wins with 533. That figure is tied for 22nd all-time in overall victories. He ranks 37th in active career winning percentage (.646). Swank is the longest-tenured coach in the PSAC and is also the all-time leader in wins among PSAC coaches.

West Liberty: Lynn Ullom (West Liberty '85, 525-232, 25th year)

> Heading into his 25th season as head women's basketball coach at West Liberty, Lynn Ullom has posted 16 20-win seasons, one MEC tournament championship, and advanced to the conference tournament championship game on 13 different occasions.

> The Hilltoppers have earned 13 NCAA Tournament bids and are fresh off an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance last season.

> Ullom became just the 14th coach in the history of NCAA Division II women's basketball to record 500 wins last season. 

> Ullom is a two-time WVIAC Coach of the Year recipient and was the first head coach of a women's sport to receive the West Virginia College Coach of the Year Award in 2001. Most recently, he was honored as the 2011 Region 2 Coach of the Year by the WBCA.

UP NEXT

>The Fighting Scots return to conference play on Saturday, December 3, and Sunday, December 4, hosting a pair of conference opponents in a PSAC crossover. On Saturday, Edinboro will welcome East Stroudsburg at 1 p.m. and on Sunday, the Fighting Scots will tip off against West Chester at 1 p.m.