DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY 2019-20 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL 
 "LADY HORNETS" (5-9; 1-0 MEAC) vs.
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL "Lady Eagles" (4-10; 1-0 MEAC)
Sat. Jan. 11, 2020 - 4:00 p.m.                                                                                                                                       
Dover, Del. (Memorial Hall – 1,800)
 
Live TV: n/a
Live Audio: HSRN.com
Live Video: n/a
Live Stats:  DSUHornets.com
Twitter updates: @DSUwbb
DeIaware State Head Coach David Caputo (Montclair State, '05): 12-30 at DSU; 147-90 career (10th yr.); 1-2 vs. NC Central       
NCCU Head Coach Trisha Stafford-Odom (Cal Berkeley, '92): 22-52 NCCU (Third year); 59-97 career (sixth year); 4-1 vs. DSU
 
The Game
Delaware State (5-9; 1-0 MEAC) is seeking its first 2-0 MEAC start since consecutive victories over Winston-Salem State and South Carolina State to begin the 2009-10 conference schedule. The Lady Hornets tipped off  their 2019-20 MEAC slate  with a 69-61 victory over Morgan State last Saturday. Sharajah Collins (jr.) and Lyric Turner (jr.) led a balanced DSU scoring attack with 12 points each. Lanayjha Ashe (sr.) added 11 points, highlighted by three three-point field goals, while Tierra Floyd (sr.) returned from a five-game absence to tally 10 points and a team-high 12 rebounds. Morgan State scored the first seven points of the game, but DSU clawed back to hold a 20-15 lead after the first quarter. The Lady Hornets led 23-17 before running off 14 straight points to open up a 37-17 lead in the second quarter.  Collins is tops on the Lady Hornets and tied for seventh in the MEAC in scoring at 13.6 points per game.  A two-time MEAC Co-Player of the Week, she also ranks among the league leaders in field goal percentage (.421), assists (2.6 pg) free throw percentage (.704), steals (1.6 pg) and minutes played (31.4 pg). Turner is second on the Lady Hornets and tied for 11th in the MEAC in scoring at 12.1 points per game. Turner is also tops on the team with 35 three-point field goals to rank third in the MEAC at 2.5 per game.  
 
North Carolina Central (4-9; 1-0 MEAC) brings a two-game winning streak into the contest. The Lady Eagles are coming off a 66-57 victory over visiting Florida A&M in their MEAC opener last Saturday. Paulina Afriyie led all players with 24 points (9-12 FG) and tied for game-high honors with 10 rebounds in the game. Afriyie leads the Eagles and ranks sixth in the MEAC in scoring at 13.7 points per game. She's also second in the league in rebounding at 8.1 per contest and
in field goal percentage with a .524 shooting mark.    
 
DSU vs NCCU Series History (NCCU leads 7-5)
This is the only scheduled meeting between the teams this season. The Hornets and Eagles met three times during the 2018-19 campaign, with NC Central winning two. Delaware State won the first 2018-19 contest 71-61 in Memorial Hall. NCCU took last year's second meeting 65-64 in Durham, N.C. In the second meeting, the Lady Hornets trailed by 14 points in the third quarter before storming back to hold a two-point lead in the last five minutes of the game. Down by a point, Delaware State missed two potential game-winning shots in the last 15 seconds. The teams also met in the 2019 MEAC Tournament in Norfolk, Va. NCCU pulled out an 80-64 victory to end DSU's season.