Dec. 20, 2009
NCCU AT BALL STATE 
North Carolina Central University "Eagles"
(2-9 overall, 0-8 road)
vs.
Ball State University "Cardinals"
(3-5 overall, 2-2 home)
Mon., December 21, 2009- 7:00 p.m. (EST)
Worthen Arena - Muncie, Ind.
Radio Coverage: NCCU Sports Network
WRJD 1410 AM and NCCUEaglePride.com
THE GAME
The Eagles are now on the back end of its two-game swing in the Hoosier state. NCCU head coach LeVelle Moton takes his squad 135 miles northeast of Bloomington to Muncie for a Monday night showdown with Ball State University at 7:00 p.m. (EST). NCCU has lost two straight contests and are still looking to lock up its first Division I win this season. This is NCCU's final contest before the holiday break.
THE SERIES
NCCU and Ball State are meeting for the first time since the Eagles started the transition to Division I, but NCCU is no stranger to the Mid-American Conference having lost two its only two contests to league members Akron (96-49- Dec. 8, 2007), and Kent State (83-42- Nov. 17, 2008). NCCU has 18 first meetings this season and is currently 1-8 in those matchups.
BALL STATE UNIVERSITY CARDINALS
Ball State University enters Monday night's affair on the heels of a 69-49 defeat to the No. 4/4 ranked Purdue Boilermakers at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. over the weekend. The Cardinals had three players in double-figures in the loss with sophomore forward Jarrod Jones leading BSU with 16 points, while senior forward Terrance Watson added 12 points, and freshman Juwaun Scaife contributed 10 points. Jones leads the Cardinals in both scoring and rebounding dropping in 14.8 points a game while grabbing 6.8 boards. Scaife is the only other Cardinal to average double-figures contributing 11.3 points a game. Coming into Monday's contest BSU is 3-5 on the season with wins against Valparaiso (88-78), SIU-Edwardsville (57-47), and Indiana State (68-63). The Cardinals have lost their last two ballgames. Ball State is coached by Billy Taylor, who is 23-46 in his third season in Muncie. The Cardinals are coming off an 2008-09 campaign where they finished 14-17, but tied for the Western Division title in the Mid-American Conference by going 7-9 in league play.
UP NEXT
Following the holiday break, NCCU gets back on the road for two contests within the borders of the Tar Heel state. On Dec. 29, the Eagles will look to end 2009 with a bang against High Point University at 7:00 from the Millis Center, and on Jan. 3, NCCU will try to ring in the new year with an upset over East Carolina. That contest is set for a 3:00 tipoff from Williams Arena Minges Colisuem.
