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Sept. 14, 2009

2009-10 NCCU Lady Eagles Schedule

DURHAM, N.C. - The North Carolina Central University women's basketball program and head coach Joli Robinson announced the 2009-10 schedule on Monday, which features five teams that appeared in the NCAA Tournament and two teams that made National Invitational Tournament appearances.

"Our schedule is definitely very competitive this year," said Robinson. "The positive points about our schedule are that we are not traveling many miles across the map like we have in the past and we will not miss as many class days. Our games are close enough that our fans can come out and support us and we will have some room in our schedule to plan and prepare for the next game."

NCCU will take on a 29-game schedule with two more games than last year. Before diving into the regular season, which includes 10 homes games and 17 road trips, the Lady Eagles will showcase their talent in an exhibition game against the 2009 CIAA Champions, the Golden Bulls of Johnson C. Smith, on Nov. 8 at 4 p.m.

On Nov. 14, the Lady Eagles will tip-off the 2009-10 season in College Park, Md., where they will take on ACC-powerhouse Maryland in the Comcast Center. The Terrapins were crowned the 2009 ACC Champions and made it to the Elite Eight in the 2009 NCAA Tournament before being eliminated by Louisville, who made the national championship game. While in Maryland, NCCU will make a stop in Baltimore to face the Morgan State Bears at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 16.

The Lady Eagles will host Campbell in their home-opener on Nov. 18 at 5:30 p.m. before hosting the Runnin' Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb at 3 p.m. on Nov. 22. NCCU will break for Thanksgiving before heading to Fairfax, Va. to face the Patriots of George Mason at 7 p.m. on Nov. 27 for the first of seven road games.

Following their battle with George Mason, NCCU will open the month of December with a trip to Orangeburg, S.C. to face MEAC-member South Carolina State in a 7 p.m. matchup on Dec. 1. Five days later, the Lady Eagles will make their way to Virginia to take on the Hokies of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.

On Dec. 16, NCCU will travel 60 miles down the road to Greensboro to face UNC Greensboro, a member of the Southern Conference, at 7 p.m. Before taking a break for Christmas, the Lady Eagles will travel to the sunshine state to take part in the USF Shootout, which is sponsored by the University of South Florida. USF, East Carolina and Houston Baptist will also be participating in the tournament, which will take place Dec. 19-20 in Tampa.

During the USF Shootout, the Lady Eagles will face USF in the first round, which will take place on day one. The USF Bulls were crowned the 2009 Women's National Invitational Tournament Champions after defeating Kansas in the championship game. East Carolina will battle Houston Baptist in the second game of the opening round with the consolation and championship games taking place on day two.

NCCU will return from the holiday to face Durham-neighbor Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Dec. 28 at 7 p.m., which concludes their lengthy slate of road games. The Blue Devils appeared in the 2009 NCAA Tournament, where they made it to the second round before being eliminated by Michigan State.

The Lady Eagles will spend the next six games in the confines of McLendon-McDougald Gym. NCCU will host South Carolina State in their last game of 2009. The Bulldogs and the Lady Eagles will battle on Dec. 30 at 5:30 p.m. To start the New Year, NCCU will host defending MEAC Champions and rival North Carolina A&T in a 2 p.m. matchup on Jan. 2. The Aggies also made an NCAA Tournament appearance last year.

Winston-Salem State will visit Durham on Jan. 5 to take on NCCU at 7 p.m. in McLendon-McDougald Gym, followed by Maryland Eastern Shore, who will face NCCU on Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. The Lady Eagles will host Shaw, a powerful competitor in the CIAA, on Jan. 13 at 6:30 p.m. before hosting Savannah State on Jan. 18 at 4 p.m., which will feature an alumni game.

"We are looking forward to all of our games this season," continued Robinson. "Each game is very important and we will take one game at a time, but two of the biggest highlights for us in this area will be the exhibition game against the 2009 CIAA Champions, Johnson C. Smith and Shaw University."

NCCU will hit the road once again for a lengthy slate of away games. The Lady Eagles will spend the rest of January and half of February between the states of North Carolina, Maryland, Georgia, Virginia and South Carolina. Their first road trip in 2010 will be to Asheville, N.C., where the Lady Eagles will face UNC Asheville on Jan. 22 at 7 p.m.

Following a trip to Asheville, NCCU will head north to Princess Anne, Md., where they will battle with the Lady Hawks of Maryland Eastern Shore on Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. The Lady Eagles will conclude the month of January with a trip to Savannah, Ga., to battle the Lady Bucs of Savannah State on Jan. 30 at 2 p.m.

The month of February consist of four road games and two home games for the Lady Eagles. NCCU will open the month of February in Lynchburg, Va., where they will face the Liberty Flames on Feb. 4 at 5 p.m. Liberty has proven themselves as a tough competitor, having appeared in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. The two-time defending Big South champions fell in the first round of the Big Dance to national runner-up Louisville.

Following their battle in Lynchburg, the Lady Eagles will head down to Rock Hill, S.C. for a head-to-head battle with the Winthrop Eagles on Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. NCCU will return to South Carolina a week later to face Presbyterian in a matchup slated for 5 p.m. in Clinton.

After a six-game stint of road games, NCCU will return home to host Chicago State on Feb. 20. The game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. After a quick home game, the Lady Eagles will hit the road once more. On Feb. 22, NCCU will travel a short distance to Winston-Salem, N.C., to take on ACC-member Wake Forest in a rematch from last season. The Demon Deacons made an appearance in the WNIT last season to continue postseason play.

The Lady Eagles will conclude their home schedule on Feb. 26 when they host the Lancers of Longwood. The game is slated to start at 6:30 p.m. and has been designated as Senior Night. The Eagles' lone senior Latoya Bennett will be honored. NCCU will then hit the road to conclude their 2009-10 campaign. The month of March consist of a tournament and a game against one of the most storied women's basketball programs in history.

March 6-7, NCCU will compete in the Lancer Classic, which is hosted by Longwood University. The tournament will take place in Farmville, Va. To conclude the season, the Lady Eagles will visit with the Tar Heels of North Carolina, one of the most prominent teams in the ACC. The Lady Eagles will face the Tar Heels, who recorded a second-round finish in the 2009 NCAA Tournament, on March 14 at 3:30 p.m.

"I am looking forward to the start of a new season," added Robinson. "Having some of the players from last season will help the young athletes as they go through this season mentally and physically. As we continue to play throughout the season, we want to be sure that we are being competitive, that we are developing and that we are growing as a team each game. We want to see improvement from game to game."

For more information on NCCU women's basketball, visit the official website of Eagles Athletics at www.NCCUEaglePride.com.