SALISBURY, NC – The Livingstone men's and women's basketball teams will return to the court on Thursday evening to kick off their CIAA schedule at Elizabeth City State University.
The Livingstone women enter Thursday's contest with the Vikings with a 5-2 overall record while the men sit at a 4-2 overall record. Elizabeth City State's women's squad 7-2 overall and at the top of the CIAA Northern Division while the men are 6-2 and in second position.
Senior Brittany Wright has been the leading scorer so far for the Blue Bear women, averaging 15.9 points per game in seven contests. Wright is just short of a double-double for the season, as she has pulled down 9.7 boards per game. Junior Rashida Elbourne is also averaging in double-figure scoring with 12.9 points per game.
As a team the women have scored an average of 79.1 points per game while allowing 70.9 points per game. The Blue Bears have also dominated their opponents on the boards, pulling down an average of six more rebounds per game.
Elizabeth City Lady Vikings are have three players in double-figure scoring for the season, led by Kenyatta Gill with 14.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. The Vikings have scored an average of 71 points per game, but a stingy defense has allowed only 51.6 points per contest. Rebounding has also been on the positive side for the Vikings, averaging just over four more rebounds per game than their opponents.
Last season the Lady Vikings took both contests from the Blue Bears. Livingstone fell by four at home and by five in overtime on the road.
On the men's side the Blue Bears have been led by Greg Henry and newcomer Darius Cox. Cox has scored an average of 15.3 points pulled down 8.2 rebounds through six games this season while Henry is scoring an average of 11.5 points per contest. Nasir Austin, another newcomer to Livingstone, played in the final two games of the semester and made an immediate impact in the paint. Austin scored 31 points and pulled down 16 rebounds in his two games this season.
The Livingstone men have been a high-scoring team so far this season, averaging 85.2 points per game which ranks them second in the CIAA. On the defensive side, the Blue Bears are in the middle of the road in the CIAA, giving up 77.5 points per contest. Livingstone is first in the CIAA and second in the nation in Division II in three-point field goal defense, allowing only a .244 shooting percentage from beyond the arc.
For the Vikings, Trent Bivens and Rondy Tucker have been the two primary scorers. Bivens has averaged 12.8 points per game while Tucker has scored 9.8 points and pulled down 7.3 rebounds per contest through six games. Elizabeth City has outscored its opponents by an average of 10 points per game this season, scoring 73 and giving up 63 points per game.
Last season the Blue Bears defeated Elizabeth City in overtime at home, but fell to the Vikings on the road.
