NORFOLK, Va. – No. 5 seed North Carolina Central will take on No. 4 seed Coppin State for the third time this season in a MEAC Tournament quarterfinal game at the Norfolk Scope on Thursday, March 12, at noon. The women's basketball contest will be livestreamed on ESPN+.

The NCCU-Coppin State winner will earn a trip to the semifinals to face top-seed Howard, which trounced No. 8 seed South Carolina State on Wednesday, March 11. The semifinal game is scheduled for Friday, March 13, at 12 p.m.

The Eagles (9-19 overall) are aiming to reach the tourney semifinals for the third time in four years. To do so, they must defeat a Coppin State squad that bested them twice during the regular season and carries a five-game win streak in the series.

However, NCCU proved it can compete with Coppin State (9-22 overall) in the previous matchups. In their first meeting in Baltimore, Md., the Eagles cut a 15-point, fourth-quarter deficit to five with under a minute remaining before Coppin State held on 77-70.

The rematch a month later in February followed a similar script. Facing an 18-point deficit in the second half, NCCU closed within six points with two minutes left before falling 75-68.

The regular-season results are not indicative of what could happen on Thursday. The Eagles are a scrappy bunch that has played each of the top four seeds closely. They handed No. 2 seed Maryland Eastern Shore its first conference loss and pushed regular-season champion Howard to the brink twice in narrow losses.

NCCU is led by the forward duo of Aniya Finger and Morgan Callahan, who both were named to the All-MEAC team on Tuesday. Finger averaged 13.5 points and 7.2 rebounds while Callahan averaged 11.7 points and 7.6 rebounds in conference games. The Eagles boast a defense that ranks 12^th nationally in forcing turnovers per game (22.32).

Coppin State is sparked by guard Khila Morris, an All-MEAC selection and the MEAC Newcomer of the Year. Morris averaged 14.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game in league play. 
                                                                         
This will mark the third quarterfinal matchup between both teams in the last four seasons. A year ago, both teams entered the tourney with the same seeds and Coppin State came away with a 57-48 win. In 2023, the Eagles were victors as a fourth seed 57-50 to advance to the semifinals.

For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.