NORFOLK, Va. – Opening day of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference for Bethune-Cookman includes a championship game rematch and matchups of the league's best offensive and defensive performers.
The Lady Wildcats meet Norfolk State at 4 p.m., immediately followed by the Wildcats-Spartans men's matchup in Joseph Echols Hall.

The 2019 MEAC women's championship game saw BCU (8-4) continue its improbable run with a 59-45 victory over Norfolk State that sent the Lady Wildcats to their first NCAA tournament appearance. The two teams split the regular season series.

Along with North Carolina A&T and Howard, BCU's eight non-conference wins were the most among MEAC teams. Norfolk State (6-7) registered two wins in the Jacksonville tournament and a 20-point road win at Hampton before starting a four-game losing game.

For the second game in a row, BCU will face one of the nation's top scorers in Chanette Hicks, who is currently ranked seventh with an average of 22.1 ppg.

Daniella Hatcher currently leads a very balanced Wildcat scoring effort at 12.1 ppg, followed by Amaya Scott at 9.4 ppg and Ciarra Thompson at 7.2 ppg.

The Wildcat men (6-8) also have the most non-conference wins in the MEAC and also lead the league in scoring at 72.1 ppg. Norfolk State (4-11) has the best scoring defense (65.5) and field goal percentage defense (40.2) in the league.

Joe Bryant Jr, Jermaine Bishop and Steven Bishop pace a balanced NSU offense.

Coming off his sixth MEAC Defensive Player Of The Week honor, Cletrell Pope averages a double-double of 12.9 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. He's fourth in the nation in rebounding and sixth in double-doubles with eight.

Follow both teams' official twitter feeds -- @bcuwbb and @bcuhoops  -- for links to live stats, video and audio as well as in-game updates.