GAME NOTES #20: NCCU at N.C. A&T

DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University women's basketball team will renew its rivalry against North Carolina A&T State University when the Eagles visit the Corbett Sports Center for a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) clash on Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
NCCU will be providing FREE live audio for the game with Mike Wood on the NCCU Sports Network providing the play-by-play. NCAT is providing a pay-per-view video stream and stats for Saturday's contest. 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, Jan. 27, 2 PM – NCCU at N.C. A&T
Corbett Sports Center, Greensboro, N.C.
WATCH | LISTEN | STATS
 
N.C. Central Women's Basketball
 
The Eagles dropped their last two games on the road, losing to Howard University (69-54) and University of Maryland Eastern Shore (84-73). NCCU (5-14 Overall, 3-3 MEAC) is in a three-way tie for fifth place in the league standings.
 
Junior guard Rodneysha Martin and sophomore forward Paulina Afriyie are NCCU's top scorers at 13.5 and 9.1 points per game, respectively. Martin contributes 2.1 assists per game and is one of the conference's best free throw shooters at 84.3-percent. Afriyie paces the maroon and gray with 7.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
 
Freshman guard Kieche White earned her second MEAC Rookie of the Week award on Tuesday after scoring 28 points against the Hawks. White, who is tallying 7.9 points per game, ranks second in the MEAC by shooting 43.1-percent from three-point distance.
 
Martin, Afriyie and White are all averaging 13.2 points per game through six league tilts. A trio of junior guards are averaging between 5-6 points per game on the season in Sami Oliver-Alexander, Jayla Calhoun and Caira Benton.
 
NCCU went 1-2 against North Carolina A&T last season. The Eagles knocked off the Aggies, 58-54, in both squad's regular season finale in Greensboro behind 10 points by Martin and 13 rebounds by Afriyie. However, NCAT eliminated NCCU, 71-58, in the first round of the MEAC Tournament just five days later.
 
North Carolina A&T Women's Basketball
 
The Aggies are riding a six-game winning streak and are coming off a 76-68 win at Howard University on Monday. North Carolina A&T (10-7 Overall, 5-0 MEAC) is tied for first in the league with Bethune-Cookman University and Norfolk State University.
 
Sophomore guard C'Coriea Foy is a transfer from the University of Alabama and she has taken over as the Aggies leading scorer at 14.0 points per game for the MEAC's top offense (67.4 points per game).
 
Foy also leads the Aggies with 2.4 steals per game. NCAT is forcing teams into an average of 23.9 turnovers per game, which ranks third in NCAA Division I women's basketball.
 
Senior guard Kala Green is bucketing 12.5 points per game and sophomore guard Cinia McCray follows with 9.1 points per game.
 
Sophomore center Alexus Lessears made the MEAC All-Rookie team last year and is a preseason Second Team All-MEAC selection. Lessears is averaging 7.5 points per game and is grabbing 8.5 rebounds per game (ranks third in the league).
 
Lessears and senior Quenswayla Story, who is tallying 5.8 points per game this year, both averaged 8.3 points per game in last season's three games against NCCU. Lessears also pulled down an average of 9.3 rebounds per game in those three contests.