DURHAM, N.C. — With both programs 17 days removed from their last competition, both rivals will be well rested when the North Carolina Central University women's basketball team hosts Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Southern Division foe North Carolina A&T State University inside McDougald-McLendon Arena on both Saturday and Sunday.
GAME INFO:
DATE: Sat., Feb. 13 (2 PM) & Sun., Feb. 14 (2 PM)
LOCATION: McDougald-McLendon Arena, Durham, N.C.
TICKETS: NO fans allowed
WATCH:
NCCU Sports Network (Free)
FOLLOW:
LIVE STATS;
@NCCUAthletics
DIGITAL GAME NOTES:
NC Central;
N.C. A&T
DIGITAL GAME PROGRAM:
Saturday (
Kiyana Brown)
DIGITAL GAME PROGRAM:
Sunday (
Ashlyn Lockard)
NC CENTRAL SNIPPETS:
The Eagles return to the court after splitting their first two MEAC games at Norfolk State on Jan. 23-24. NCCU (3-4 Overall, 1-1 MEAC) ended its 2019-20 season with two consecutive wins over N.C. A&T, including its regular season finale and its MEAC quarterfinals game just before the season ended abruptly due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Eagles have won three straight games against the Aggies.
Sophomore forward
Anissa Rivera is averaging 16.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game. Rivera has won a MEAC weekly award in either Player of the Week or Defensive Player of the Week in all five weeks NCCU has played this season. Rivera, who has scored in double digits in all seven games, leads the MEAC in scoring out of qualifying individuals. She also sits atop the league and ranks fifth nationally with her 3.29 blocks per game while also ranking fourth in the conference with 9.0 rebounds per game.
Junior forward
Kiyana Brown has stepped up for the maroon and gray since the Eagles have dealt with some injuries by recording double-doubles in three straight games. She is averaging 7.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
Brown and Rivera both have three double-doubles on the season.
Junior
Cherelle Washington and freshman
Paris McBride have been two other consistent starters for NCCU, and those guards are both averaging around seven points per game. McBride tops the Eagles with 3.1 assists per game and also averages 2.4 steals per game.
N.C. A&T SNIPPETS:
The Aggies have won seven straight games after losing their season opener. N.C. A&T (7-1 Overall, 4-0 MEAC) also last played on Jan. 24 when the Aggies topped Delaware State University in a non-conference road game.
Senior forward Deja Winters, a Preseason All-MEAC Second Team selection, leads the Aggies with 13.9 points per game and her 2.75 made 3-pointers per game tops the league.
Senior Chanin Scott, who played her first three seasons at Georgia Tech, is averaging nearly a double-double with 12.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
The Aggies are only allowing 47.5 points per game by holding teams to just 30.4-percent shooting. Both of those statistics are tops amongst 336 NCAA Division I women's basketball programs. N.C. A&T also ranks second nationally with 24.88 turnovers forced per game with four players ranking inside the top-10 of the MEAC in steals.
SERIES:
The Eagles won all three showdowns last season, but still trail the all-time series 39-11. Rivera averaged 19.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game in the three NCCU wins over N.C. A&T in 2020. Winters paced the Aggies with an average of 14.3 points per game over that same span.
