GAME NOTES
2022-23 Regular Season
North Carolina Central (0-3, 0-0 MEAC)
Vs.
Mid-Atlantic Christian (2-0, 0-0 NSAC)
Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022 – 7:00 p.m.
McDougald-McLendon Arena – Durham, N.C.
 
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
 
STARTING FIVE:
1. NCCU begins its 90th season with over 1,200 wins.
2. LeVelle Moton is now the second coach to reach 400 games in program history.
3. NCCU ranked third or higher in the MEAC in eight different team statistics last season.
4. NCCU will face three first-time opponents in the 2022-23 season.
5. NCCU is 24-1 at home in nonconference games since 2016.
 
EAGLE QUARTET EARN PRESEASON HONORS
Four Eagles earned Preseason All-MEAC honors, the most in the Division I era at NCCU.  Justin Wright was listed on the First Team, Eric Boone and Kris Monore both were named to the Second Team, and Brendan Medley-Bacon was placed on the Third Team.
 
ALLOW ME TO REINTRODUCE MYSELF...
Brendan Medley-Bacon is no stranger to NCCU or the MEAC, as he started his career at Coppin State from 2018-20.  He earned Third Team All-MEAC acclaim as a sophomore in 2019-20, and ranked 31st nationally with 2.1 blocks per game.  Of note, current Director of Operations Patrick Cole also started his career at Coppin State in 2012-13 where he was a MEAC All-Rookie selection, and later transferred to NCCU to finish his career from 2015-17 where he won a championship, and recorded the only triple-double at NCCU in the Division I era.
 
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP
Sophomore guard Justin Wright broke out for an impressive sophomore campaign, and became the youngest Eagle to be named First Team All-MEAC in the Division I era last season.  Wright is the 10th Eagle to be named First Team All-MEAC in the Division I era, and it marked four consecutive years with a First Team selection for NCCU.  Wright scored 20+ points seven times against MEAC opponents, including a career-high 32 points against Delaware State.  In 11 MEAC games, he averaged 20.1 points per game.
 
ALL-MEAC ALL-AROUND GUARD
Eric Boone was a dynamic player on both sides of the ball, and the agile guard earned a Second Team All-MEAC nod last season.  Boone finished the regular season ranked fourth in the nation with 2.5 steals per game, and ranked second in the MEAC with 3.7 assists per game.  Offensively, Boone chipped in 9.6 points per game to rank in the top-20 of the MEAC.
 
RUN IT BACK
Just one season after returning only three student-athletes, NCCU brings back 10 players and three starters from the 2021-22 season.  Notably, Nicolas Fennell will suit up for his fifth season as an Eagle.
 
UNFAMILIAR GROUNDS
NCCU will play three different opponents for the first time in program history, all in Virginia, beginning with the season opener.  The Eagles will meet Virginia on Nov. 7, Liberty on Nov. 14, and Radford on Dec. 1.
 
LONG ROAD HOME
NCCU started the last two seasons with four consecutive road games, and this year it will be three games away from McDougald-McLendon Arena to start the year.  The Eagles will visit Virginia, Appalachian State, and Liberty from Nov. 7-14, and later will go on another three-game road trek from Dec. 6-17 at Marquette, LSU, and Gardner-Webb.
 
DOWN, BUT NOT OUT
NCCU proved that it won't relent until the game has ended when the Eagles recovered 34 points in two games against Howard and Norfolk State.  The Eagles trailed by 24 in the first half against the Bison and forced that game into overtime after taking the lead with seven minutes to go.  NCCU then went on to win after trailing NSU by 10 by snatching the lead with just 1:37 remaining after a three by Kris Monroe.  The Eagles have come back to take leads after trailing by 10 points or more six times last season, and won five of those games.  NCCU once again stormed back from a double-digit deficit to start the 2022-23 season at #18 Virginia, by rattling off a 12-0 run to erase a 16-point first half deficit.
 
LEAVING A LEGACY
NCCU stole the spotlight in the opening game of the inaugural Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic on Dec. 18, and came away with a big 86-53 win over Delaware State.  The 33-point margin of victory is the sixth-largest against a MEAC opponent in the regular season, and the Eagles drilled an impressive 13 treys.
 
BUSINESS IS BOONE-ING
Eric Boone showed off his court vision at the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic, and dished out a season-best 13 assists.  13 assists at the time was the sixth-most in a single game in NCAA Division I this season, and tied for the fourth-most all-time at NCCU.  Boone has also been one of the top defenders in the nation, as he's third in NCAA DI with 2.7 steals per game, and is sixth in total steals with 66.
 
RUNNING EAGLES
NCCU has turned defensive into offense multiple times in 2019-20, highlighted by the Eagles holding Florida A&M scoreless for the final 8:37 of a tied game to spark a 16-0 run on the way to a 61-45 win to start league play.  NCCU brought that same intensity to its 2021-22 home opener against Warren Wilson as the Eagles started the game with an 18-0 run in the first 3:39.  The Eagles again posted a giant scoring streak to start the game against WWC on Feb. 10, when they made their first eight shots from the floor and first five treys on the way to a 23-0 start.  Below is a look at the Eagles' best scoring runs within the past few seasons.
                   Points           Time
1. vs. CC (12/12/19)           28                7:32
2. vs. WWC (2/10/22)         23                5:02
3. vs. WWC (11/23/21)       18                3:39
4. vs. FAMU (1/4/20)          16                8:37
5. vs. NSU (2/3/20)            16                8:13
6. vs. HOW (2/24/20)         14                6:43
7. vs. CC (12/9/21)            14                2:39
8. vs. BSC (11/21/19)         13                4:44
9. vs. MACU (12/31/19)       13                3:10
10. at LA Tech (12/17/19)    12                3:32
11. at UVA (11/7/22)        12                    3:16
 
CLOSING TIME
NCCU has excelled with a lead in the second half over the past few seasons, as the Eagles were 15-2 after leading after 20 minutes in the 2019-20 season.  NCCU was also 16-1 when leading with both five minutes and one minute remaining.  Since 2016, the Eagles are 76-16 when leading at the half, 92-9 when leading with five minutes left, and 94-5 when leading with one minute.