DURHAM, NC—The South Carolina State Bulldogs return to conference play on Saturday (Jan.10) when they battle host top-ranked North Carolina Central in a pivotal Mid-Eastern Athletic showdown at McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium. Tipoff is 4 p.m., immediately following the women's contest.

The Bulldogs enters the contest with a 2-0 mark in the MEAC and a 4-12 overall record, while NCCU is 2-0 in the MEAC and 10-5 overall on the season. Both teams are in a four-way tie for first place with Norfolk State and Hampton.

SC State will be looking to snap a four-game losing skid against top-ranked NC Central on Saturday. In their last outing the Bulldogs dropped a tough, 63-52, decision on the road to Eastern Kentucky on Saturday (Jan.3) in Richmond, KY.

Junior forward Darryl Palmer finished with a team-high 16 points and eight rebounds in the loss. Meanwhile, NCCU is on a hot streak and look to extend their winning streak to five straight after knocking off Barbie Scotia (108-52) on 12/17/14, Mississippi Valley State (94-60) on 12/20/14, Jackson State (67-64) on 12/22/14 and IUPUI (70-49) on 12/29/14.

Freshman guard Edward Stephens leads the team in scoring with 10.9 points and 1.3 steals per contest. Sophomore guard Karon Wright is second with 8.6 points per outing.

NCCU has three players in double-figures with All-MEAC forward Jordan Parks leading the way with 14.9 ppg and 6.9 rpg, teammates Anonthy McDonald chips in 12.1 and Dante Holmes adds 11.1 per contest for the Eagles.

South Carolina State returns to action on Monday (Jan. 12) when the Bulldogs open up Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play against rival N.C. A&T at Corbett Arena. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m.

For more information on South Carolina State University basketball, please call the Office of Athletic Media Relations at (803) 536-7060, or visit the official Bulldogs website at www.scsuathletics.com