2015-16 REGULAR SEASON
North Carolina Central (5-9, 1-1 MEAC, 4-1 Home)
vs.
ETSU (7-6, 1-0 SoCon, 2-5 Road)
Monday, Jan. 4, 2016 – 8:00 p.m.
McDougald-McLendon Arena (3,116) – Durham, North Carolina
Video/Audio: NCCUEaglePride.com
 
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
 
THE GAME: NCCU opens 2016 with a matchup with ETSU at McDougald-McLendon Arena.  The Buccaneers snapped a 10-game NCCU win streak last season with a 61-59 final on Jan. 31, 2015 in Johnson City, Tennessee, and the Eagles will be looking for a victory to even the score.
 
SCOUTING THE BUCCANEERS:
-ETSU competes in the Southern Conference and racked up a 16-14 season record with a 8-10 mark in conference play.  The Bucanneers  finished fifth in the conference, and were knocked out of their conference tournament by Western Carolina in overtime of the quarterfinals.
-The Buccaneers are piloted by Ge'Lawn Guyn (Lexington, Ky.) who currently averages 17.7 points per game with 2.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per contest.  In addition, Guyn is shooting an impressive 43.8 percent from the field while making 44.1 percent of his treys.  T.J. Cromer (Albany, Ga.) is the team leader in assists with 2.6 per game while also contributing 15.2 points per matchup.
-ETSU posted a 82-66 conference win at Western Carolina last time out on Jan. 2.  Cromer paced the Bucs with 16 points, and Isaac Banks (New Orleans, La.) chipped in 10 points with seven boards.
 
SERIES: ETSU won the only meeting.
 
NCCU VS. ETSU:
NCCU and ETSU met for the first time on the hardwood last season on Jan. 31, 2015, and the Eagles were defeated 61-59 in dramatic fashion.  ETSU rallied from 12 points down with five minutes to play, and capped the game with a 15-1 run.
 
NCCU VS. SOUTHERN CONFERENCE:
The SoCon has 10 member institutions and NCCU has faced two in the Division I era.  The Eagles first faced Western Carolina in Cullowhee, North Carolina in 2007 and were defeated 64-84, and then visited ETSU last season.