DURHAM, N.C. — The North Carolina Central University women's basketball team returns to McDougald-McLendon Arena for a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) showdown with Howard University on Saturday at 2 p.m.
GAME INFO:
GAME NOTES 15 vs. Howard
DATE: Saturday, Jan. 29 at 2:00 p.m.
LOCATION: McDougald-McLendon Arena, Durham, N.C.
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NC CENTRAL BENCH:
The Eagles are coming off a split of two games during a MEAC road trip last week, defeating Delaware State University (W, 75-54) on Saturday and losing to University of Maryland Eastern Shore (L, 81-59) on Monday. NCCU (2-12 Overall, 1-4 MEAC) will be playing just its fourth home game of the season and the Eagles are 1-2 inside McDougald-McLendon Arena.
Freshman
Diamond Thomas has scored in double digits in five straight games, including all four MEAC games she has played in to increase her scoring average to 11.1 points per game (ranks eighth best in the league). Thomas, who swished a season-best 5 3-pointers in her last game on her way to a season-high 21 points against the Hawks, ranks third in the MEAC with an average 2.0 made 3-pointers per game.
Thomas is averaging 15.5 points per game against conference competition while two other Eagles are also averaging double-figure scoring against league opposition. Junior
Kira Lowery is netting 11.0 points per game in the MEAC to increase her season average to 5.9 points per game. Sophomore
Tianna Carter follows with 10.0 points per game versus MEAC foes to up her season average to 9.0 points per game.
Carter, who is coming off her first collegiate double-double in her last game against the Hornets, leads NCCU and ranks third in the MEAC with 7.3 rebounds per game. However, Carter missed NCCU's last game due to injury. The Eagles have also been without senior leading scorer
Necole Hope for the past five contests.
Senior forward
Ashlyn Lockard has started the most games for NCCU and is chipping in averages of 8.7 points and 5.7 points per game. Sophomore
Paris McBride is scoring 4.9 points per game and leads the Eagles with 2.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game.
HOWARD BENCH:
The Bison went 1-1 in Baltimore last week, suffering their first MEAC loss at Morgan State University (L, 67-61) on Saturday before knocking off Coppin State University (W, 70-64) on Monday. Howard (8-7 Overall, 2-1 MEAC) was voted the favorites in the MEAC Preseason Predicted Order of Finish Poll after winning the regular season Northern Division title last season.
The sophomore duo of Destiny Howell and Anzhane' Hutton are Howard's two double-digit scorers with averages of 11.4 and 11.0 points per game. Hutton, who leads the MEAC with 7.5 rebounds per game and fourth in the league with 1.2 blocks per game, is a Preseason All-MEAC First Team selection. Howell is matching NCCU's
Diamond Thomas with 2.0 made 3-pointers per game on the way to becoming the top scorer for the Bison.
Junior Iyanna Warren is the only Howard player to start all 15 games so far and she is contributing 9.1 points per game to go along with a MEAC-best 4.9 assists per game and team-best 1.8 steals per game.
Warren and sophomore Kaiya Creek were both Preseason All-MEAC Second Team honorees. Creek, who was a MEAC All-Rookie Team selection last year, is tallying 4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore.
Of note, junior forward Brooklynn Fort-Davis is coming off a career-high 23 points performance to lead the Bison to road in at Coppin State. Fort-Davis is producing 7.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game on the season.
SERIES:
The two teams will play for the first time in two seasons. Howard leads the all-time series, 11-2, but the Eagles won the last meetings in Durham. NC Central toppled the Bison, 89-71, in the last showdown on Feb. 24, 2020, inside McDougald-McLendon Arena.
