Complete Game Notes
THE GAME
North Carolina Central University gets set for its final non-conference matchup of the 2010-11 season as they make the 3-hour trek to Conway, S.C. to take on one of the top mid-major schools in the nation in Coastal Carolina University. The Chanticleers are coming off its first loss since Nov. 18, having their nation-best 22-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday.
THE SERIES
This will be the second meeting all-time between NCCU and CCU. These two teams met on Feb. 15, 2010 at McDougald-McLendon Gym where the Chanticleers bolted out to a 17-0 lead and held on from there to take a 68-57 victory on Senior Night. The Eagles are 3-10 all-time against the Big South Conference taking on just four of the league’s 10 teams. NCCU lost to High Point, 82-74 on Feb. 7.
COASTAL CAROLINA UNIVERSITY "CHANTICLEERS"
For the first first time since Nov. 18, Coastal Carolina University will be looking to get back on track as the Chanticleers shot 27.3 percent in the second half and saw its nation-best 22-game winning streak snapped Tuesday night in a 59-57 loss to Gardner-Webb at Kimbel Arena. CCU shot 6-for-22 from the field in the second half and went the final 6:42 without a field goal. Despite the loss, Coastal Carolina remains one of the top mid-major programs in the nation, and in the Big South Conference. CCU is No. 2 in the league in scoring offense (77.8 ppg) and No. 1 in the conference in points allowed (63.0 ppg). As a team, the Chanticleers shoot 48.7 percent from the field which is also tops in the league, and they force opponents to shoot a meager 38.8 percent from the field, also at the top of the conference. CCU sports the league’s top scorer in Desmond Holloway is who averaging 18.5 points a game while his teammate Chad Gray sits 12th in the conference averaging 13.5 points a game as well. Not to be forgotten, Anthony Raffa is 24th in the Big South in scoring contributing 10.3 points per game. Holloway also is seventh in the conference in rebounding grabbing 6.9 boards a game, while power forward Sam McLaurin is ninth at 6.5 rebounds a game. The 6-3 guard is shooting an incredible 50.2 percent from the field which puts him in the third slot in the league, while Gray is fourth in the conference shooting 49.0 percent from the field. The Chants also sport arguably one of the best point guards in the league in Kierre Greenwood is fifth in the league dishing out 4.0 assists per contest. The sophomore has 109 helpers on the season and just 53 turnovers. Coastal Carolina is led by fourth-year head coach, Cliff Ellis, who is the ninth winningest active coach all-time in the NCAA with 610 wins just nine behind Wisconsin’s Bo Ryan. His record at CCU is an impressive 76-45.
UP NEXT
The Eagles have another quick turnaround as NCCU will host Norfolk State University in a MEAC doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 4:00 p.m. NCCU dropped a 74-71 decision to the Spartans in Norfolk, Va. on Jan. 22. This will mark the 35th meeting between these two programs. Just two days after that matchup will be the long-awaited rematch between NCCU and North Carolina A&T. In the 136th meeting, the Eagles outlasted the Aggies on Jan. 24 90-84 in overtime where C.J. Wilkerson blasted A&T for a career-high 41 points. The Aggies have not been in the Bull City for a contest against NCCU since Dec. 16, 1985.
