Raleigh, NC – Although the season is young the biggest game of the year might be going down on the shiny hardwood court inside the Hermann Center on the campus of Peace College on Saturday, January 20 at 2 p.m. Peace College, an all female four year institution, will host cross town rival Meredith College in a non conference NCAA division III basketball contest. The match up pins two very similar four-year women colleges in a battle of supremacy and bragging rights within the Capitol City of Raleigh.

In a rivalry game where records can be thrown out of the window the home court Pacers enter the contest with a 5-7 overall record, while Meredith, who is currently winless on the season (0-10), can get on track with a victory over Peace. The Pacers are coming off a hard fought contest versus the Hornets of Shenandoah University, a perennial NCAA division III women’s basketball power. Peace dropped the contest 61-57, but found plenty to look forward to as the Angels will make the short commute down Wade Avenue for the first of two games this season. Meredith is fresh off of a defeat at the hands of Agnes Scott College 69-51. The Angles will hit the hardwood once again on January 16th when they travel to Greensboro, NC to visit Bennett College looking for a boost heading into the rivalry game at Peace. Peace will travel to Fayetteville, NC to take on Methodist University on Thursday the 18th in a USA South Athletic Conference game.

The Peace versus Meredith game is played twice annually with one game being on each schools home court. The Pacers are looking to chop into the Angles’ series advantage this season. Meredith has won 13 out of 20 match ups since Peace became a full fledged four year institution in 1996. Last season the two highly respected programs split the series with the home team taking the victory in what is normally a full house amongst friends, family, and fans at each respective College.

“The atmosphere is always hectic and loud and your adrenaline is constantly pumping” said senior guard E.B. Watson. “It’s a huge benefit to have home court advantage, and hopefully we can take home a win.”

Although the records may not reflect it, this years contest promises to be just as exciting as years past. The visiting Angels are led by junior guard Nicole Hall who is averaging 20.9 points a game, while sophomore guard, Christy Freeman heads up the Pacers strong offensive effort while averaging 12.4 points a game.

The Peace and Meredith game may not bring in as many fans as similar tobacco road rivalries, but the enthusiasm on both schools’ campus is very comparative. Tailgating and pep rallies before the game are common place, while students paint their faces and wave their pom-poms in support of their team. The environment can be described as a miniature version of Cameron Indoor Arena when Duke University and the University of North Carolina square off in Atlantic Coast Conference action. Each game is hyped up before the season starts, while fans clear their calendars for this rivalry match up.

Kelly Johnson, head coach for the Peace Pacers said, “We love the support from the students, parents, and community that come out and support our girls during this big game. We are excited and ready to take on the Angels.”

The yearly contest between the two schools will become even more heated in the years to come as Meredith College was granted membership into the USA South Athletic Conference, which consequently is the same conference in which Peace College was appointed to in 2003. The two schools will soon compete for the same conference crown making the rivalry even more competitive in the seasons to follow.

In addition to having a huge rivalry game in common, and soon to be conference affiliation, Meredith College is scheduled to make a mascot change just as the Pacers did in 2004. Peace, formally known as the Pride, was required to make a change to their mascot upon entering the USA South Conference since Greensboro College already possessed the Lion figure as their official team emblem. Meredith College plans to make a change having been called the Angles for a year shy of a decade now and plan to announce it later in the spring. The official mascot has not been released, but since Peace coined the Pacers as their official logo, it is guaranteed that the Angles will look elsewhere for inspiration in naming their new lucky charm.

The two schools have clashed heads on the court many times, but one very bright spot is something that both schools can be proud of. At halftime of the game on Saturday there will be a special presentation by Peace College President Laura C. Bingham recognizing both schools for their effort in a project that will be featured on national television. Both schools combined in an effort to help rebuild a preschool behind the campus of Peace College which will be featured on the very famous television show Extreme Home Makeover which will air a day after the game on Sunday at 8:00 p.m.

Admissions to the event is free of charge.