DURHAM, N.C. — The North Carolina Central University women's basketball team begins a three-game road swing to three different states when the Eagles play their second game against a "Power Five" conference opponent this season on Wednesday at West Virginia University at 7 p.m.
GAME INFO:
GAME NOTES No. 8 at West Virginia
at West Virginia
DATE: Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m.
LOCATION: WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, W.Va.
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NC CENTRAL BENCH:
The Eagles suffered their second home loss of the season, 77-68, to Elon on Sunday to slip to .500 at home (2-2). NCCU (2-5 Overall) is still searching for its first road win of the early campaign (0-3).
Freshman
Jerni Kiaku scored a season-high 21 points against the Phoenix to move into the team lead in scoring with 10.7 points per game. Kiaku also leads the maroon and gray with 2.3 steals per game.
NCCU's next five scorers all average within three points of each other with junior
Kimeira Burks bucketing 10.0 points per game and she is followed by junior
Blessing Okoh (9.1), sophomore
Aniya Finger (9.0), senior
Kira Lowery (8.1) and sophomore
Morgan Callahan (7.0).
Burks is NCCU's top three-point shooter, swishing 16 treys over her first seven games. Finger (6.8 RPG), Okoh (5.4) and Callahan (4.4) are the top rebounders for the Eagles. Lowery, who is coming off a season-high 17-point performance against Elon, leads NCCU with 2.9 assists per game.
NCCU is an aggressive defensive team like the Mountaineers. As of games through Nov. 28 the Eagles rank in the top 25 nationally in three different defensive stat categories, including seventh with 26.43 turnovers forced per game, 17th with 5.6 blocks per game and 22nd with 12.4 steals per game.
Finger (1.6 BPG), Okoh (1.3) and sophomore
Nia Ford (1.1) all average over one block per game while seven different Eagle defenders average over one steal per contest.
NC Central played West Virginia three times in a four-year span as the Eagles transitioned from the NCAA Division II to Division I ranks from 2008 to 2011. In the last meeting on Nov. 20, 2011, which was NCCU' women's basketball first month of competition as permanent DI members, the Mountaineers won 97-24 in Morgantown, West Virginia.
WEST VIRGINIA BENCH:
The Mountaineers are coming off a road trip to Mexico over the extended holiday weekend, going 1-1 in the Cancun Challenge. West Virginia (4-1) won on Thanksgiving Day, 64-33, over Central Michigan before suffering its first loss of the season to No. 13/11 NC State on Friday, 78-40. The Mountaineers, who are 3-0 at home and are picked eighth in the 2022-23 Big 12 Women's Basketball Preseason Poll, will be playing their fifth team from the Carolinas out of their first six games when they host the Eagles on Wednesday.
Fifth-year guard Madisen Smith, an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection last season, is leading WVU with 12.4 points per game. Smith is also averaging 2.6 assists and 2.2 steals per game while topping the squad with nine made 3-pointers.
Sophomore guard JJ Quinerly, who garnered unanimous Big 12 All-Freshman Team honors as a rookie last season, is filling up the box score each game with averages of 11.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.2 steals per contest.
WVU has started the same five players in each of its first five games. Joining Smith and Quinerly on the court to begin each contest have been senior guard Jayla Hemingway (8.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.6 SPG), junior forward Kylee Blacksten (7.4 PPG, 4.2 RPG) and sophomore guard Kyah Watson (3.2 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.8 APG, 2.6 SPG).
West Virginia has a top defense that currently ranked in the top-10 of the nation in turnover margin (2nd/+14.20), scoring defense (6th/48.2), turnovers forced per game (8th/26.20) and steals per game (10th/13.8).
The Mountaineers are 3-0 against NCCU, winning all three contests by at least 30 points: 97-24 in 2011 (Morgantown), 71-39 in 2010 (Durham) and 70-31 in 2008 (Morgantown).
