DURHAM, N.C. – In the fourth home game of the season, North Carolina Central hosts rival North Carolina A&T on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. The contest will be the first inside McDougald-McLendon Arena since the Aggies left the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2021. Both teams split the last two games in Greensboro, N.C. in 2023 and 2024.
Game 11:
NCCU (3-7, 0-0 MEAC) vs NC A&T (3-3, 0-0 CAA)
Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025 – 4:00 p.m.
McDougald-McLendon Arena – Durham, N.C.
ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets
Chapter 162: For the 162nd time, North Carolina Central and North Carolina A&T face off. The Aggies lead the series 85-76. The two programs battled more frequently when they were both in the MEAC, until the Aggies left in 2021 joining the Big South and then the CAA. Saturday will be the first time since Feb. 24, 2021 that the Eagles host the rivalry game inside McDougald-McLendon Arena. The last time NCCU won this game at home was March 5, 2020, 86-80. In their last meeting the Aggies won 85-72 on Dec. 28, 2024 in Corbett Sports Center, featured in the first ever CBS Sports Classic: HBCU Showcase.
Scouting North Carolina A&T: North Carolina A&T is 3-3 this season, with its most recent outcome, a 74-57 loss at Charlotte. Lureon Walker, a Durham, N.C. native, is the scoring leader for the Aggies at 23 points per game. Trent Middleton Jr. averages 2.4 assists, and Amadou Doumbia grabs 5.5 rebounds a game. The Aggies have already defeated two MEAC opponents, Morgan State and South Carolina State, and will face two more in back-to-back games after NC Central (Howard and Maryland-Eastern Shore). North Carolina A&T is 13th nationally in fastbreak points (19.50), 2nd in free-throw attempts (32.5), and 14th in free-throws made per game (21.3). The Aggies were picked to finished 13th in the Coastal Athletic Association's preseason poll.
Last Time Out: After taking a five-point lead with under five minutes left in the contest, North Carolina Central couldn't stop James Madison's final run as the Dukes defeated the Eagles 67-62 on Wednesday evening at the Atlantic Union Bank Center. NCCU was led by Gage Lattimore and Dionte Johnson, the only double figure scorers wearing maroon and gray. Lattimore netted 29 points on 41.6 percent shooting. Johnson was 4-of-7 from the field, a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line and knocked down two threes for a new season-high of 16 points. NC Central shot better from the field (41.5 percent) than JMU (34.6 percent), but the Dukes made it count at the charity strip (22-of-32).
enGAGE: Sophomore Gage Lattimore has been on a tear in his first season as an Eagle. The guard scored double figures in all ten games. Most recently, Lattimore netted 29 at James Madison. He also continues to knock down free-throws, almost automatic at 91.2 percent, which is first in the MEAC. Lattimore is second in the conference in scoring average (20.6) and first in three-point field goal percentage (47.2 percent). Nationally, he's third in total three-point field goals made (34) and points (206).
MEAC Minute: For the second time, the Eagles have had an honoree named the MEAC Defensive Player of the Week. Dionte Johnson grabbed seven steals last week, including five against Carolina University. Johnson is fourth in the nation in assists (61), 11th in steals per game (2.90) and fourth and total steals (29). This is the first conference honor this season for the senior.
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