DURHAM, N.C. — The North Carolina Central University women's basketball team will begin Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play by hosting defending regular season champion Bethune-Cookman University on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The league opener will be broadcast for free on the NCCU Sports Network with
Jonathan Duren providing the play-by-play. Fans can follow the NC Central athletics all season on
NCCUEaglePride.com and on social media by searching NCCUAthletics (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) or women's basketball at @NCCUWBB (Twitter) or @nccu_wbb (Instagram).
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NCCU (3-10, 0-0) has won its last three home games and is coming off a 55-49 victory over Wilberforce University on Wednesday. The Eagles made a season-high 20 steals in that triumph. Junior forward
Paulina Afriyie is coming off a career-high 25-point performance. Afriyie also completed her fourth double-double of the season with 10 rebounds while making five blocks. Afriyie ranks in the top-15 of the MEAC in scoring (13.5), rebounding (8.9), field-goal percentage (.473) and blocks (1.7). Senior guard
Rodneysha Martin, a preseason All-MEAC selection, has returned to the lineup from injury and has averaged a team-best 17.8 points per game in six starts. Sophomore
Zaria Atkins, who is averaging 6.1 points per game, leads the league with a .875 free-throw shooting percentage and tops the Eagles with 1.5 steals per game. Junior
Shontai Totten is bucketing 6.2 points per game and paces NCCU with 2.7 assists per game.
Bethune-Cookman (7-5, 0-0) has won or shared the regular season title in the MEAC in each of the last three seasons, but the Wildcats have yet to win the league's postseason tournament over that successful span. Senior guard Angel Golden is the reigning MEAC Player of the Year. She is the conference's top 3-point threat, swishing an average of 3.2 made 3-pointers per game. Golden ranks second in MEAC in both points (20.1) and free throw percentage (83.3%) while also ranking amongst the league leaders in steals (1.6). Freshman Kiana Williams is BCU's other double-digit scorer at 12.8 points per game. The rookie also leads the squad with 4.5 assists per game. The Wildcats return two other All-MEAC award winners from last season in senior forward Chasimmie Brown and senior guard Ashanti Hunt. Brown leads the team with 6.6 rebounds per game and is chipping in 9.9 points per game. Hunt has only played the first two games of the season with an average of 8.5 points per game.
BCU held off NCCU 57-47 in the only meeting last season in Daytona Beach, Florida. Golden topped the victors with 20 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Brown tacked on eight points, 10 rebounds and five blocks. Afriyie flirted with a double-double for the Eagles with nine points and eight rebounds.
Complete Game Notes can be found at….
GAME NOTES NO. 14: Bethune-Cookman at NC Central
