GAME NOTES
2021-22 Regular Season
North Carolina Central (9-10, 3-1 MEAC)
Vs.
Coppin State (5-16, 4-2 MEAC)
Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022 – 4:00 p.m.
McDougald-McLendon Arena – Durham, N.C.
Video: NCCU Sports Network
Stats: NCCUEaglePride.com
 
North Carolina Central (9-10, 3-1 MEAC)
at
South Carolina State (11-11, 3-3 MEAC)
Monday, Feb. 7, 2022 – 8:00 p.m.
Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center – Orangeburg, S.C.
 
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
 
STARTING FIVE:
1. LeVelle Moton is now the third coach in program history to reach 200 wins.
2. NCCU is 114-42 in the Division I era in regular-season MEAC games.
3. NCCU ranks third or higher in the MEAC in 10 different team statistics.
4. NCCU is 24-14 in the month of February since the 2016-17 season.
5. NCCU is 63-15 at home in MEAC games in the Division I era.
 
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Coppin State is off to a hot start in league play with a 4-2 record, and is coming off of a narrow 59-57 win on the road at Delaware State.  Like Howard, CSU has three of the MEAC's top-10 scorers; including Nendah Tarke who is averaging 13.2 points per game and hit two buzzer-beating game-winners in January.  Tarke scored 13 points with eight rebounds in the win over DSU last time out, and he was joined by Kyle Cardaci with 13 points and seven caroms.  This is the first of two meetings between NCCU and CSU this year, rescheduled from Jan. 10.  The two teams will meet again in Baltimore on Feb. 14.
 
LAST FIVE VS COPPIN STATE:
2/8/20   at CSU       68-63 W
1/19/19 at NCCU      60-64 L
3/6/18   at MEAC      60-48 W
1/13/18 at NCCU      81-61 W
2/6/17   at CSU        86-77 W
 
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
South Carolina State is 3-3 in conference play, and recently rallied to hold off Howard, 58-55 in its last game.  TJ Madlock leads the Bulldogs in scoring and assists with 11.5 points, and 3.3 helpers per contest.  Madlock collected 10 rebounds with five points against the Bison, while Omar Croskey put up a game-high 16 points, and Deaquan Williams nailed down a double-double with 10 points and 11 caroms.  This game was also rescheduled from Jan. 15, and NCCU and SCSU will face each other again in Durham on March 3 for the season finale.
 
LAST FIVE VS SOUTH CAROLINA STATE:
2/2/21  at NCCU      64-63 W
2/1/21  at NCCU      91-77 W
2/29/20 at SCSU      83-82 W-2OT
2/1/20  at NCCU      73-56 W
2/25/19 at NCCU      72-62 W
 
BACK TO THE GRIND
NCCU endured its second-longest gap between games in the Division I era during a 31-day wait from Dec. 22 at the Sun Bowl Invitational, to Jan. 22 at Delaware State.  The Eagles faced a 48-day lapse during the 2020-21 campaign from Dec. 12 - Jan. 29.  This season, the Eagles also waited out a 45-day stretch between home games from Dec. 15 - Jan. 22.
 
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.