Dec. 5, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

North Carolina Central University "Eagles"

(0-7 overall, 0-6 road)

vs.

Drake University "Bulldogs"

(4-2 overall, 3-1 home - entering weekend)

Saturday, December 6, 2008 - 3:00 p.m. (CT)

Knapp Center - Des Moines, Iowa

THE GAME: North Carolina Central University hits the road again for a five-game stretch away from home. The Eagles opened the season with six consecutive road games before playing their home-opener on Dec. 3 against High Point. NCCU challenges Drake University on Saturday (Dec. 6) in the first of two games during the 2008 Iowa Realty Invitational. After playing the host team, the Eagles will face off against Texas-Pan American on Sunday (Dec. 7) at 11 a.m. (Central Time). NCCU is in its second season as a Division I program.

GAME COVERAGE: This contest will be broadcast live on WRJD 1410 AM and via the internet at www.NCCUEaglePride.com. Chris Hooks (play-by-play) will call the action from Des Moines, Iowa, beginning with a pre-game show at 3:45 p.m. (EST).

THE SERIES: This will be the second hardwood meeting between the NCCU Eagles and the Drake Bulldogs. In their only meeting on Nov. 30, 2007, NCCU committed 26 turnovers during an 85-48 loss to Drake in the first round of the inaugural Iowa Realty Invitational in Des Moines, Iowa.

UP NEXT: On Sunday, Dec. 7, NCCU will play Texas-Pan American at 11:00 a.m. (CT) as part of the Iowa Realty Invitational in Des Moines, Iowa.

THE EAGLES' COACH: Henry Dickerson (Morris Harvey, 1973) is in his fifth season as head coach at North Carolina Central and enters the contest with a 43-78 record at NCCU and a 115-151 career record. Dickerson arrived at N.C. Central in 2004-05 after a five-year stint as head coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga, where he was 72-73 and won two Southern Conference divisional titles from 1997-2002. He also served as associate head coach at Chattanooga from 1989-97, and held assistant coaching positions at Marshall from 1983-89 and Charleston from 1979-83.

ABOUT THE DRAKE BULLDOGS: First-year coach Mark Phelps inherited a roster with eight returning letterwinners, including All-Missouri Valley Conference performers Josh Young and Jonathan Cox. Last season, Drake won a school record 28 games; earned national rankings in both major polls for nine straight weeks, including No. 14 in the final Associated Press poll; and won the regular-season and tournament titles in the Missouri Valley Conference.

WORAH-OZIMO TOPS DIVISION I INDEPENDENTS IN REBOUNDING: NCCU junior center Stevy Worah-Ozimo currently ranks No. 1 among the NCAA Division I Independent statistical leaders in rebounding. Through seven games, Worah-Ozimo is averaging 9.9 rebounds per game with 27 offensive and 42 defensive boards. In his last three outings, the transfer has amassed 36 rebounds, including a season-best 13 caroms versus Jackson State on Nov. 29.

DAVIS EARNS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM HONORS AT SPII: In the final two games of the 2008 South Padre Island Invitational, NCCU sophomore guard Vincent Davis amassed 25 points, nine steals, eight rebounds, five blocked shots and two assists to earn All-Tournament Team honors. In his best outing, Davis recorded 15 points, six steals, five boards, three rejections and an assist against UNC-Wilmington on Nov. 28 in South Texas.

WORAH-OZIMO RECORDS NCCU'S FIRST DOUBLE-DOUBLE: NCCU junior center Stevy Worah-Ozimo collected 13 points and 12 rebounds versus UNC-Wilmington on Nov. 28 in the South Padre Island Invitational for the Eagles' first double-double of the season. Worah-Ozimo has accounted for 25 rebounds in the team's last two games.

SLOW START FOR EAGLES: In the first four contests of the season, NCCU made a habit out of getting behind early. The minimum deficit the Eagles faced to open a game during that stretch was an 8-0 margin at Florida Gulf Coast. The spread was 9-0 at Wake Forest, 13-0 at Kent State and 9-0 at Tulsa. NCCU enjoyed its first lead of the season on a bank shot by junior center Stevy Worah-Ozimo just 11 seconds into the neutral site contest against UNC-Wilmington on Nov. 28 at South Padre Island, Texas. NCCU has scored first in each of the last two games.

BRANCH NETS CAREER-HIGH 22 POINTS AT TULSA: In front of several family members from his native Fort Worth, Texas, NCCU senior guard Philip Branch tickled the twine for a career-high 22 points at Tulsa on Nov. 25. Branch shot 6-for-14 from the floor, including 5-of-12 from long range, and a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line to lead all scorers.

NCCU ROOKIE BRISCOE NETS 18 POINTS IN COLLEGE DEBUT: NCCU freshman guard Jamar Briscoe (5-10, 155, Baltimore, Md.) started his college hardwood career by scoring a team-best 18 points against No. 21 Wake Forest University.

EAGLES OPEN SEASON WITH SIX STRAIGHT ROAD GAMES: NCCU played its first six games of the season on the road, covering about 8,166 miles during the month of November. The Eagles played at Wake Forest, Kent State, Florida Gulf Coast and Tulsa, before travelling to Texas to compete in the final rounds of the South Padre Island Invitational on Nov. 28-29.

INDEPENDENT EAGLES TRAVEL 25,344 MILES: During NCCU's first season of Division I competition in 2007-08, the Eagles travelled roughly 22,280 miles to 23 road games in 13 different states. The 2008-09 NCCU schedule will be quite familiar to the returning Eagles. The travel itinerary includes 21 road games, covering approximately 25,344 miles, in 14 states (Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia), including eight states (Ark., Ga., Ill., Kan., Okla., Pa., S.C., Texas) the Eagles did not compete in during last season's 13-state tour.

TWO EAGLES SUFFER INJURIES BEFORE START OF SEASON: A pair of NCCU newcomers, junior transfer Lamar Pittman and freshman Dami Sapara, suffered injuries before the season even got started. Pittman will miss the entire season, while the length of Sapara's absence has not yet been determined. Both probable starters at the forward position underwent knee operations on the same day (Nov. 7).

EAGLES IN TRANSITION - SECOND YEAR OF DIVISION I: North Carolina Central University, located in Durham, N.C., is in its second season of NCAA Division I competition. The Eagles will be eligible for the NCAA post-season at the end of the four-year reclassification process in the 2011-12 campaign.

NCCU MEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY LESSON: For decades, the NCCU men's basketball program has been competitive among its peers in the NCAA Division II ranks. The Eagles have made six trips to the NCAA playoffs in the past 20 years, including a regional title in 1993 and the national championship crown in 1989. NCCU has produced Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and legendary Boston Celtic Sam Jones. He played with the Eagles from 1951-54/1956-57, scoring 1,745 points under head coach John B. McLendon, also a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.