Bulldogs Back At Home For Final Non-Conference Showdown
December 30, 2015 | Men's Basketball
The New Year's Eve matchup tips at 1 p.m. and will be aired on SEC Network+. Jay Perry and Matt Wyatt will have the television commentary, while fans can tune in to Jim Ellis and Richard Williams on the MSU Radio Network.
In their last outing, the Bulldogs (6-5) bested Northern Colorado 93-69 in Jackson last Wednesday. Malik Newman, who was named the SEC's Freshman of the Week, scored a career-high 20 points in his home city to lead the Bulldog offense.
Gavin Ware added 19 points, while I.J. Ready matched a career-high 11 assists and Fred Thomas logged a season-high 13 points in the effort.
Defensively, MSU had a season-high 12 steals and forced 19 turnovers.
Although Thursday's matchup marks the first meeting between MSU and North Carolina Central, the Bulldogs are 7-0 all-time against schools comprised of the MEAC.
North Carolina Central (5-8) used a stifling defense to knock off Montreat 107-68 in their last game. The Eagles forced 30 turnovers and recorded 22 steals in the win.
Patrick Cole poured in career-highs in the effort with 23 points, 5 assists and 4 steals. Rashaun Madison also scored a career-high 21 points to go along with his 9 steals, which marks second for a single game in NCCU history.
Cole leads the Eagles offensively with 16.6 points per game, while Jeremiah Ingram averages 7.1 rebounds per contest. Dajuan Graf is tied for a league-best 4.4 assists per game.
The Bulldogs will open SEC play Wednesday against Texas A&M in Humphrey Coliseum.
