Kaylee SciaccaN.C. Central University basketball split a doubleheader with Bethune-Cookman University Saturday on Senior Day in McDougald-McLendon Arena.
NCCU women’s basketball (6-20, 5-9 MEAC) put up a good fight against the Wildcats (17-9, 13-1 MEAC), who secured sole possession of the MEAC regular-season championship for the second straight season with their 62-52 win over the Lady Eagles.
The Eagles men’s team (22-6, 13-1 MEAC) fought past Bethune-Cookman (7-21, 4-10 MEAC) with a 78-63 win that clinched the MEAC regular-season championship — NCCU’s third in the last four years.
Following this win, NCCU men’s basketball is also the top seed in the upcoming MEAC Basketball Tournament. The Eagles will play the winner between the eighth and ninth seeds match-up on Wednesday, March 8, 2017.
McDougald-McLendon Arena also played host to visitors from other schools besides Bethune-Cookman on Saturday night.
The NCCU Marching Sound Machine and local high school students from the first annual “Eagle Funk Brass” band clinic performed during halftime at the women’s game.
J. F. Webb High School in Oxford, N.C. had its junior varsity and varsity cheerleading squads adding their voices to those of NCCU’s cheer squads for both games.
The men’s team honored seven seniors Saturday afternoon: guards Rashaun Madison, Dajuan Graf, Patrick Cole and Ron Trapps, as well as forwards Del’vin Dickerson, Kyle Benton and Will Ransom.
The women’s team honored senior guards Chantal Thomas, Monique Whaley-Briggs and Morgan Jones, along with senior team manager Fantasia Blue.
Senior student athletic trainers and cheerleaders were honored during the women’s and men’s halftimes respectively.
Both NCCU basketball teams play their final home games tonight against Savannah State University. The women’s tip-off is at 5:30 p.m. and the men’s game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.
