Jan. 11, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

THE GAME: The Lady Eagles of North Carolina Central women's basketball team are on the road for the 17th time season when they take on NAIA opponent West Va. Tech (9-8), Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at the Baisi Athletic Center. NCCU (3-17) defeated Norfolk St. 58-44, on Wednesday night. LaVonna Hailey led the team with 13 points.

MEDIA COVERAGE: N/A

North Carolina Central Series Note: West Virginia Tech and N.C. Central will meet for the first time.

LAST TIMEOUT: Some people don't believe in fate in beating a Division I team, but that's what took over on Wednesday night in McLendon-McDougald Gymnasium, as the Lady Eagles of North Carolina Central University celebrated a surprising 58-44 victory over Norfolk State University. "HEY! HEY! HEY!" exclaimed NCCU Head Coach Joli Robinson. "It was a good win for us against a Division I team."

The Lady Eagles have won the last three games at home. "It was good to see a great crowd here tonight, the girls worked and played hard in front of our fans," stated Robinson. It did not take long to realize this game was going to be back-and-forth all night long. NCCU was not fazed, however, as the Spartans kept clawing back behind the shooting of Areya Walker. Ashley Compton's jumper allowed Norfolk State to gain a lead at 10-7 with 13:50 left in the half. As for the Spartans of Norfolk State University, they were led by Areya Walker's 11 points and nine rebounds. NCCU was led by LaVonna Hailey with 13 points to lead all scorers, while Latoya Bennett had a double-double performance of 12 points and 12 rebounds. Jennifer Hukill also had 12 points, going 3-for-8 from behind the arch.

Both teams struggled in the first half with their shooting. NCCU shot 8-of-24 for 33 percent, while Norfolk State shot 39 percent on 9-of-23 from the field. The difference was in the turnover department. Norfolk State produced 24 turnovers, while the Lady Eagles committed 19, a team low. NCCU finished the game shooting 41 percent from the field, while holding Norfolk State to a mere 27 percent. The Lady Eagles' defense kicked into high gear by forcing NSU into missing short jumpers in the final two minutes.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN, AND AGAIN: The Lady Eagles are on the road for majortity of the season. Since becoming a Division I Independent, NCCU will travel to Tennessee, Ohio, Flordia, Pennsylvania (twice), Georgia, Maryland (four times), West Virginia, and of course North Carolina.

LOOKING AT WEST VA. TECH : The WVU Tech Lady Golden Bears held off a tough team from Bluefield State tonight, earning a 61-56 victory in non-conference action at the Baisi Athletic Center in Montgomery.

Tech (9-8) led by five, 35-30, at the break, and broke even over the second twenty minutes of play in earning their second straight victory. In a game which featured ten lead changes and nine ties, it was Tech's ability to knock down foul shots (the Golden Bears were a perfect 15 for 15 from the charity stripe) that proved to be the difference down the stretch.

Senior point guard Marche' Westray (Columbia, MD) led all scorers with 17 points, including 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. Senior Shantrelle Matthews (Atlanta, GA) added 13 points. For Bluefield, Adizatou Maiga led the way with 16 points, while Laila Shareef and Amanda Meade added 12 apiece. Eva Grose pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds for the Lady Blues (4-6).

Opponents Quick Facts:

School: WVU Tech

City, State, Zip: Montgomery, WV 25136

Founded: 1895

Enrollment: 2,400

Nickname: Golden Bears

Colors: Royal Blue & New Gold

Affiliation: NAIA

Conference: Mid-South

Campus Provost: Charles E. Bayless

Athletic Director: Lou Talerico

Head Coach: Reggie Carrick

Alma Mater/Year: Augustana

Overall Record/Years: 85-83/6 years

Record at Tech/Years: 35-49/3 years

Assistant Coach: Levar Willis

Alma Mater/Year: Morris Brown