GAME NOTES #2: N.C. Central at Wofford
GAME NOTES #3: #18 Oregon State at N.C. Central
DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University women's basketball team will play back-to-back games before Thanksgiving as the Eagles travel to Wofford College for an 11 a.m. contest on Tuesday before hosting 18th-ranked Oregon State University on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
Wednesday's non-conference game inside McDougald-McLendon Arena will be
FREE admission.
NCCU will be providing
FREE live audio for the Wofford game and
FREE live video, audio and stats for the Oregon State battle.
Mike Wood will be on the air providing 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
Tuesday, Nov. 21, 11 AM - N.C. Central at Wofford
Richardson Indoor Stadium, Spartanburg, S.C.
WATCH |
LISTEN |
STATS
Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2 PM – Oregon State at N.C. Central
McDougald-McLendon Arena, Durham, N.C.
WATCH |
LISTEN |
STATS
N.C. Central Women's Basketball
The Eagles, who were picked to finished last in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in the league's preseason poll, opened up the
Trisha Stafford-Odom era with a statement 87-75 home victory over Longwood University. NCCU (1-0 Overall) scored its most points since posting 89 points in 2013.
A pair of junior guards shined in the opener as
Jayla Calhoun and
Rodneysha Martin bucketed 25 and 23 points, respectively. Calhoun netted her career-high point total on 8-of-12 precision from the field and 9-10 accuracy from the free throw line. Martin completed NCCU's first double-double in two seasons with a team-high 10 rebounds.
Junior transfer
Caira Benton added 10 points. The Eagles also made eight blocks with Calhoun and sophomore
Paulina Afriyie each swatting away three apiece.
Junior guard
Dominique Adams is NCCU's top returning scorer at 6.6 points per game. Sophomore
Jada Blow, who averaged nearly two 3-pointers per contest as a rookie, hit a couple treys against the Lancers. Afriyie led the Eagles with 5.5 rebounds per game last year while junior
Deja McCain followed closely behind with 5.3 boards per outing.
The maroon and gray did commit 24 turnovers and 25 fouls in the opener, both numbers worth watching against Wofford and Oregon State. However, 81.5-percent marksmanship from the free throw line and 13 assists were both positive trending numbers against Longwood.
NCCU is 1-5 against Wofford, including a 64-54 home loss to the Terriers last season. McCain the Eagles with 13 points and eight rebounds in that setback. NCCU will be playing Oregon State for the first time and it will mark the program's first game against a nationally-ranked opponent since dropping a 90-26 decision at #1/2 South Carolina on Dec. 1, 2014.
Wofford Women's Basketball
The Terriers are coming off a 94-60 road loss to No. 2/4 nationally ranked University of South Carolina on Sunday. Wofford (1-2) had a 13-17 overall record last season with the Southern Conference member's two losses have come against SEC opposition while their one win was against a DII program.
Junior guard Chloe Wanick is a Preseason All-SoCon selection that was all-conference last season after finishing in the top-10 of the league in points, rebounds and assists. She is supplying 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in three tilts this season with 52.1% shooting accuracy from the field and 86.7% precision from the free throw line.
Three other Wofford players are averaging over 10 points per game in sophomore guard Cairo Booker (11.7), freshman guard Da'Ja Green (11.7) and freshman forward Jamari McDavid (10.0).
The Terriers won the battle of the board, 49-38, in defeating NCCU for a third consecutive meeting last season. Junior forward Marissa Bayer, who leads Wofford with 6.3 rebounds per game, pulled down nine boards in that triumph over the Eagles.
Oregon State Women's Basketball
The Beavers maintained its No. 18 nationally ranked in the Associated Press Poll that was released Monday despite losing for the first time on Sunday against No. 5 Notre Dame, 72-67. Oregon State (2-1 Overall) has won 30-plus games each of the last two seasons with a Sweet 16 appearance last year and a Final Four run in 2016.
Sophomore guard Mikayla Piviec was a Pac-12 All-Freshman honoree and is showing no signs of a sophomore slump as she leads the Beavers with 17.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game. Senior center Marie Gulich, who earned Pac-12 First Team attention last season, is also averaging nearly a double-double with 15.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per contests while adding 4.7 blocks per game.
Freshman guard Aleah Goodman (12.0 ppg), sophomore guard Kat Tudor (10.7) and junior guard Taylor Kalmer (10.3) all average 10 points per game for a deep backcourt.
OSU has traveled the nearly 2,400 miles from Corvallis, Oregon, to spend its Thanksgiving break in Durham. The Beavers will play No. 16 Duke on Saturday.
