North Carolina Central University

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

     DURHAM, NC -- North Carolina Central University entered the USA Today ESPN Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll at No. 25, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced Tuesday, marking the Lady Eagles first national ranking since the end of the 2002 season.
     NCCU boasts an overall record of 21-5 (the NCAA regional ranking system does not count NCCU's loss to Division I Boston College) and is currently enjoying a 14-game win streak, two victories shy of matching the school record set from Nov. 25, 2000 to Feb. 6, 2001.
     This year's squad is the fifth in school history to record 20 wins, all have occurred under 11-year head coach Joli Robinson. 
     NCCU wraps up the regular season with a road contest at Johnson C. Smith on Saturday (Feb. 24) before heading into next week's CIAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed.
     At the close of the 2002 campaign, when the Lady Eagles posted a 24-7 record and advanced to the NCAA "Sweet Sixteen," NCCU earned a No. 25 ranking in the final poll.

USA TODAY ESPN Top 25 women's basketball poll, with first-place votes noted to the side, total points based on 25 points for first place through one point for 25th.
 

Rank	Institution - First Place Votes	Last Week's Rank	Record	Points
1.	Florida Gulf Coast University - 19	1	25-0	637
2.	Missouri Western State - 7	2	26-1	631
3.	Glenville State College (W. Va.)	5	25-2	587
4.	University of North Dakota	6	26-3	559
5.	Delta State University (Miss.)	7	21-3	520
6.	Washburn University (Kan.)	3	22-3	518
7.	West Texas A&M University	8	23-3	485
8.	Southern Connecticut State University	4	24-2	480
9.	Lewis University (Ill.)	11	22-3	441
10.	Holy Family University (Penn.)	12	23-2	407
11.	Emporia State University (Kan.)	9	19-6	365
12.	Grand Valley State University (Mich.)	15	20-5	342
13.	Augustana College (S.D.)	10	24-5	317
14.	California State University, Chico	16	18-4	301
15.	University of California, San Diego	14	19-4	256
16.	American International College (Mass.)	13	21-5	247
17.	Florida Institute of Technology	20	21-4	232
18.	Valdosta State University (Ga.)	21	21-5	209
19.	Regis University (Colo.)	22	21-5	148
20.	University of South Dakota	18	19-6	141
21.	Anderson University (S.C.)	17	20-4	129
22.	Clayton State University (Ga.)	19	20-5	108
23.	Metropolitan State College of Denver (Colo.)	23	19-5	99
24.	Northern Kentucky University	24	19-5	89
25.	North Carolina Central University	NR	20-5	50

Dropped Out:  Elizabeth City State University (N.C.).

Others Receiving Votes: Bentley College (Mass.) - 39; University Of Alaska, Anchorage - 23; Arkansas Tech University - 18; Augusta State University (Ga.) - 15; East Stroudsburg University (Pa.) - 14; Elizabeth City State University (N.C.) - 13; College of Saint Rose (N.Y.) - 8; Wingate University (N.C.) - 8; Catawba College (N.C.) - 5; Barton College (N.C.) - 4; Rollins College (Fla.) - 4; Pace University (N.Y.) - 2; Concordia University, St. Paul (Minn.) - 1; Minnesota State University, Moorhead - 1; Pfeiffer University (N.C.) - 1; Saint Andrews Presbyterian (N.C.) - 1.