GAME NOTES

DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University women's basketball team will try and stay undefeated in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play when the Lady Eagles visit the Tidewater region of Virginia to play at Norfolk State University on Saturday and Hampton University on Monday. Both contests are slated to tip-off at 4 p.m.
 
NCCU will be providing a free audio webcast of both games with NCCU Sports Network broadcaster Mike Wood on the air with the play-by-play. Live stats and a video webcast will also be provided by each host institution. Fans can follow NCCU women's basketball all season by visiting NCCUEaglePride.com and on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
 
GAME INFO
 
Saturday, January 14 | 4:00 p.m.
NCCU at Norfolk State
AUDIO | VIDEO | STATS
 
Monday, January 16 | 4:00 p.m.
NCCU at Hampton
AUDIO | VIDEO | STATS
 
N.C. Central Women's Basketball
 
The Lady Eagles opened up league play with a pair of home wins on back-to-back days, defeating Delaware State University, 68-63, and University of Maryland Eastern Shore, 68-59, on Tuesday and Wednesday. NCCU (3-11 Overall, 2-0 MEAC) – picked last in the conference's preseason poll – has started MEAC play 2-0 for the first time since joining the league in 2011-12.
 
Senior guard Morgan Jones continues her stellar play, averaging 11.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Jones has scored in double digits 10 of 14 games, including seven straight.
 
A trio of sophomores follow in the scoring department with Dominique Adams netting 7.5 points per game, Rodneysha Martin sinking 6.6 and Deja McCain tallying an average of 6.3. Adams and McCain pace the Lady Eagles on the backboards with 5.6 and 4.6 rebounds, respectively. Martin is coming off a career-high 25 point performance against Maryland Eastern Shore. Martin leads the MEAC with a .865 free throw percentage, and Adams leads the league with 36.0 minutes played per game.
 
Jones (16.5), Martin (13.0) and Adams (12.0) are all averaging double-digit scoring in league play. Senior Chantal Thomas has been NCCU's table setter in those two wins by averaging 5.5 assists.
 
Jones scored a career-high 25 points and made four steals in leading NCCU to a 63-62 home win over Norfolk State last season. She also led NCCU's returnees with 10 points in a 76-42 home loss to Hampton last year.
 
Norfolk State Women's Basketball
 
The Spartans opened up MEAC action with a pair of wins, going on the road to defeat Morgan State University, 56-47, before returning home to knock off Savannah State University, 61-55. Norfolk State (7-7 Overall, 2-0 MEAC) is 3-1 at home.
 
Senior transfer Jordan Strode leads NSU with 12.3 points per game and is followed closely by junior forward Kayla Roberts, who was the MEAC Rookie of the Year two years ago, with 12.1 points. Senior Dominique Harper adds 10.5 points per game. The Spartans have strong post play, leading the MEAC in blocks and ranking second in rebounding margin. Roberts tops the conference with 9.4 rebounds per game and ranks seventh with 1.6 blocks per game.
 
NSU leads the all-time series over the Lady Eagles, 17-8.
 
Hampton Women's Basketball
 
The Pirates, who have won five of the last seven MEAC championships, picked up a pair of home wins against North Carolina A&T State University, 64-57, and Savannah State University, 75-46, to start league play undefeated. Hampton (8-7 Overall, 2-0 MEAC) is 4-0 at home and will host Delaware State on Saturday before entertaining NCCU on Monday.
 
Senior guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas is the two-time reigning MEAC Player of the Year and she is averaging 17.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Junior transfer Monnazjea Finney-Smith is second on the team in scoring with 10.4 points per game, including 2.2 made 3-pointers per contest. Junior forward Kaylah Lupoe, who joined Tate-DeFreitas as an All-MEAC selection last season, is providing 8.2 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game.
 
Tate-DeFreitas and Lupoe led Hampton to its 34-point victory over NCCU last season with 24 and 20 points, respectively. Hampton is 19-2 all-time against the Lady Eagles.