DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University women's basketball team will conclude its regular season and try and lock up the third seed for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament when the Eagles host South Carolina State University on Thursday's "Pink Out".
GAME NOTES: NCCU vs. SCSU (PDF)
GAME INFO
Thursday, March 7 at 5:30 p.m.
South Carolina State at NC Central
Durham, N.C. (McDougald-McLendon Arena)
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NCCU BENCH
The Eagles are coming off a 2-0 road trip to Baltimore, Maryland, with wins against Coppin State University (W, 52-44) and Morgan State University (W, 63-58). NC Central (14-14 Overall, 8-5) is currently in third place in the MEAC standings and would clinch the third seed in next week's MEAC tourney with a win over the Bulldogs.
Redshirt junior forward
Morgan Callahan has scored in double digits in eight consecutive games to average 15.2 points per game in league play. Callahan, who currently ranks second in the MEAC with 13.7 points per game for the season. Callahan also ranks third in the conference with 8.7 rebounds per game, fourth with a .440 field goal shooting percentage, sixth with 0.8 blocks per game, and seventh with 1.7 steals per game.
Freshman guard
Kyla Bryant (11.9 PPG) and senior guard
Kimeira Burks (11.2 PPG) are both averaging over 11 points per contest to give NCCU three scorers that rank in the top-10 of the MEAC. Bryant tops NCCU with 1.8 steals per game while Bryant is swishing a league-best 2.2 three-pointers per game.
NCCU is the second highest scoring team in the MEAC and leads the conference in assists per game. Senior
Tippy Robertson ranks second in the league with 3.8 assists per game.
NCCU defeated South Carolina State, 75-61, in Orangeburg on Jan. 20. Redshirt junior forward
Aniya Finger, who has been in-and-out of NCCU's lineup due to injuries, led the Eagles with 19 points and eight rebounds in that triumph. NC Central has beaten the Bulldogs four consecutive times with senior
Kimia Carter (12 points), Callahan (11) and Bryant (11) all providing double-digit points in that first meeting this season.
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE BENCH
The Bulldogs also went on that same road trip to Baltimore, but lost both of those games to MSU (L, 61-29) and CSU (L, 65-33). South Carolina State (2-26 Overall, 1-12 MEAC) will be the eighth seed in the MEAC Tournament next week.
Graduate student Morgan Beacham, a transfer from Bethune-Cookman University, is leading the Bulldogs with averages of 8.4 points, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game in her first season at SC State.
Senior Jordan Releford (8.1 PPG) and junior Janiah Hinton (7.9 PPG) are also averaging around eight points per game as SCSU's next leading scorers.
Sophomore Rakyha Reid leads the Bulldogs with 4.4 rebounds per game.
Beacham and freshman Taniya McGowan (7.5 PPG) led SC State with 11 points apiece in January's loss to NCCU while Releford added 10 points and a team-high five steals.
For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com, or download the NCCU Eagles Athletics app.
