DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University women's basketball team will begin its 2016-17 campaign on Veterans Day as the Lady Eagles make their home debut against Pfeiffer University with Friday's non-conference match in McDougald-McLendon Arena slated to start at 6 p.m.
The NCCU women's basketball team invites all veterans to attend the contest as part of the holiday.
NCCU will be providing pay-per-view video ($8.95) of the game along with free audio and live stats. NCCU Sports Network broadcaster
Jonathan Duren will be on air with the play-by-play. Fans can follow NCCU women's basketball all season by visiting
NCCUEaglePride.com and on social media at
Facebook,
Twitter and
Instagram.
GAME INFO
Friday, November 11 | 6 p.m.
Pfeiffer at NCCU
VIDEO |
AUDIO |
LIVE STATS
N.C. Central Women's Basketball
The Lady Eagles, who were picked 13th in the MEAC Preseason Poll, had a 5-23 overall record and 3-13 league ledger in 2015-16. Four of the NCCU's five wins last season came at home.
NCCU enters the new season with just one of its top three scorers from a year ago in senior guard
Morgan Jones, who averaged 10.4 points per game. Jones, who also averaged 3.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game, enters her fourth and final season with 643 career points. The Stockbridge, Georgia, product has been the maroon and gray's top three-point threat with over 100 made treys over the past three years (104 in 84 games).
Other top returning scorers for the Lady Eagles are senior guard
Chantal Thomas (5.1 points/game), sophomore guard
Dominique Adams (5.0) and senior guard
Monique Whaley-Briggs (4.1).
Thomas paced NCCU with 2.2 assists per game.
Five Lady Eagles averaged over three rebounds per contest in junior forward
Kierona Morton (4.1 rebounds/game), Adams (3.8) and sophomore forward
Deja McCain (3.6), Jones (3.4) and Thomas (3.2).
NCCU returns a total of nine players and has added four freshman to its roster.
NCCU will be playing Pfeiffer for the first time under the leadership of fifth-year head coach
Vanessa Taylor. The Lady Eagles last played the Falcons on Nov. 30, 1995. NCCU won that contest, 58-54, to move to 1-1 all-time against Pfeiffer.
Pfeiffer Women's Basketball
The Falcons are coming off an 8-19 overall campaign last year. Pfeiffer is an NCAA Division II member of Conference Carolinas and is picked ninth in its leagues preseason poll.
Senior guard Meg Pritchard has averaged over 10 points per game in each of her first two seasons at Pfeiffer and is the squad's top returning scorer. Pritchard also pulled down an average of 4.9 rebounds per game.
Pfeiffer returns two starting post players from a season ago in senior forward Ariana Tillman and senior center Lauren Janka. Tillman, who will be playing in her hometown of Durham, was the team's MVP last season after averaging 5.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.0 assists per game. Janka averaged a whopping 1.3 blocks per game while chipping in 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 points per contest.
The Falcons boast a veteran roster with 12 letter winners and two of their three newcomers being transfers. Sophomore guard Barbara Castro put up big numbers in her one season at Bronx Community College, averaging 13.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.3 steals per game.
