GAME NOTES
2022-23 Regular Season
North Carolina Central (1-3, 0-0 MEAC)
Vs.
Montreat (2-3, 2-2 AAC)
Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022 – 3:00 p.m.
McDougald-McLendon Arena – Durham, N.C.
 
Vs.
Gardner-Webb (0-4, 0-0 Big South)
Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022 – 4:00 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 25-1 at home in nonconference games since 2016.
 
EAGLE QUARTER 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.
 
WRIGHT ON TARGET
Justin Wright has emerged as the top three-point shooter in the MEAC through the first four games of the season, and he has knocked down 12 of 14 attempts for a 85.7 percent success rate.  Most impressively, he has nailed nine consecutive treys through three games, starting with his desperation three at App State to send the Eagles to overtime on the road.  Since that game he went 4-for-4 at Liberty, and 3-for-3 against Mid-Atlantic Christian.
 
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