2019-20 MEAC Women's Basketball Statistics | MEAC Women's Basketball Notes
NORFOLK, Va., March 5, 2020--Even though Bethune-Cookman has wrapped up the 2019-20 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) women's basketball regular-season title -- and the corresponding No. 1 seed in next week's tournament -- there is still plenty on the line as the season enters its final day.
THURSDAY'S GAMES
Heading into Thursday's slate of five contests, Norfolk State, Morgan State and North Carolina A&T State are all still alive for the conference tournament's No. 2 seed. If the Spartans defeat Morgan State, they will be the No. 2 seed outright.
There are also tiebreaker scenarios in which the Lady Bears and Aggies would lay claim to that seed -- but those require Morgan State defeating the Spartans and North Carolina A&T State avenging its loss to rival North Carolina Central earlier this season.
In the event, Morgan and NCAT are tied, the Lady Bears hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. Morgan's head-to-head fate against Norfolk State depends on Thursday night's contest; the Spartans won the first meeting between the two teams on Feb. 15.
Elsewhere, Florida A&M will pay rival Bethune-Cookman a visit, while Coppin State will be at Maryland Eastern Shore and Delaware State will be in the nation's capital to take on Howard.
AROUND THE MEAC
Bethune-Cookman boasts the best overall record in the league, sitting at 22-5. The Wildcats have won 20 games or more in each of the last four seasons. North Carolina A&T State is 19-8 on the season, looking to join B-CU in the 20-win camp -- while Norfolk State is just two wins away from that mark at 18-10.
Morgan State is also above .500 on the season at 15-13, and with a win on Thursday, the Bison (currently 14-14) would give the MEAC five teams with winning records heading into the conference tournament.
Norfolk State's Chanette Hicks was named MEAC Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week after back-to-back 20-point games and stellar defensive efforts for the Spartans this past weekend. She has the Spartans primed for a high seed in next week's tournament (March 10-14 at Norfolk Scope Arena).
Hicks ranks 11th in the nation in scoring, and she is also second nationally in steals. She ranks eighth in the nation in field goals made, and her triple-double against Virginia University of Lynchburg in November has her tied for third in the nation in triple-doubles.
Morgan State's Chelsea Mitchell has led the Lady Bears to a resurgent season, and she is one of the nation's most prolific players on the glass and on the defensive side of the ball. Mitchell ranks seventh among all Div. I players in steals per game, and she is also 34th in rebounds per game. She is tied for 26th in the nation with 13 double-doubles (along with North Carolina Central's Paulina Afriyie) and Mitchell is also third nationally in offensive rebounds per game.
Chance Graham of Coppin State is 21st nationally in defensive rebounds per game, and is currently eighth on the MEAC's all-time career rebounding list.
Jayla Thornton of Howard is sixth in the nation in 3-point attempts and 23rd in 3-pointers made per game, and her teammate Ayonna Williams is 30th in free throw percentage.
Bethune-Cookman's Amaya Scott is 40th in the nation in field goal percentage.