Complete Schedule
DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central University head women’s basketball coach Vanessa Taylor announced the 2012-13 schedule on Thursday (Sept. 20). This season, the Lady Eagles welcome 11 teams to McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium on the NCCU campus, while visiting 18 Division I institutions. Of the total 29 contests, 16 of those games will be Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference matchups.
“We think the schedule we put together will give us the opportunity to play in some highly-competitive games,” Taylor said.
NCCU women’s basketball fans will have several opportunities to see the team in action early in the season. Of the 13 non-conference games, all played before the New Year, three are at home and eight will be held in North Carolina. The other two contests are in South Carolina and Virginia.
“We are playing a lot of regional teams to begin to assist us in area recruitment,” Taylor said.
NCCU’s first four games begin on the road. The Lady Eagles first contest takes place in Charlotte, N.C., on Nov. 10 when they take on the 49ers of UNC-Charlotte at 6 p.m. Following the season-opener, NCCU travels to Conway, S.C., for a Nov. 12, 7 p.m. match-up against Coastal Carolina. The Lady Eagles next take on Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C., meeting on Nov. 16 at 5:15 p.m. for the 13th meeting between the two schools. Closing out the road stretch, NCCU travels to Western Carolina in Cullowhee, N.C., taking on the Lady Catamounts at 7 p.m.
The Lady Eagles first home contest of the season is against Presbyterian on Nov. 24 at 3 p.m. NCCU and Presbyterian’s last meeting took place on Nov. 29, 2011, in Clinton, S.C, where the Lady Blue Hose defeated the Lady Eagles 64-48.
On Nov. 26, the maroon and gray take on Wofford for the second time in school history. The game is slated for 6:00 p.m.
The Lady Eagles closeout the opening month of competition on road in Wilmington, N.C., where they will take on the Lady Seahawks of UNC-Wilmington on Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. The series is currently tied 4-4 and this meeting will mark the first time the two schools have competed since Dec. 1, 1984, when NCCU defeated UNCW 72-71.
For the first MEAC competition of the season, the Lady Eagles travel to Greensboro, N.C., in a match-up with long-time foes North Carolina A&T on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 2:00 p.m. This year’s competition marks the 31st meeting between the two teams.
NCCU will face three additional squads on the road before returning home. The Lady Eagles begin with a game against East Carolina, Dec. 4 at 5:30 p.m., followed by Old Dominion on Dec. 7 at 11 a.m., and finishing off the road stretch with UNC-Chapel Hill on Dec. 12 at 11 a.m.
Returning home for the final home game of 2012, the maroon and gray welcome Winthrop on Dec. 15 at 4:00 p.m. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since Dec. 2, 2010, when the Lady Eagles were defeated 62-60.
Concluding 2012 play, NCCU will take a short road trip to Greensboro, N.C., to battle UNC-Greensboro on Dec. 19., and finish out the year in Boiling Springs, N.C., with a match-up against Gardner-Webb on Dec. 22 at 3 p.m.
Starting on Jan. 12, NCCU will spend the next three months hosting and visiting MEAC schools in conference play.
For the month of January, NCCU will travel to Florida A&M (Jan. 12) and Bethune-Cookman (Jan. 14), while hosting Howard (Jan. 21), Coppin State (Jan. 26) and Morgan State (Jan. 28).
February consists of three home games and four away games. The Lady Eagles travel to Delaware State (Feb. 2) and Maryland Eastern Shore (Feb. 4). For the second meetings of the season, NCCU hosts Florida A&M (Feb. 9) and Bethune-Cookman (Feb. 11). The Lady Eagles then take on Savannah State (Feb. 16) and South Carolina State (Feb. 18) on the road, before returning home for the rival game against North Carolina A&T (Feb. 23).
March begins for the Lady Eagles by hosting Savannah State (March 2) and South Carolina State (March 4).
The final regular-season contest will be a home contest against Hampton on March 7 at 6 p.m. in McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium.
