Williams, O'Quinn Help NSU Win 4th in a Row, Top UMES
NORFOLK, Va. - Kyle O'Quinn and Pendarvis Williams scored 18 points apiece, and Norfolk State won its fourth straight game to remain unbeaten in MEAC play with a 78-72 victory over Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday evening at Echols Hall.
The Spartans improved to 11-5 overall, 3-0 in the MEAC. This marks NSU's first 3-0 MEAC start since 2007-08.
NSU overcame a ragged first half by shooting 58 percent from the floor in the second half and outscoring the Hawks (3-12, 0-2) 24-10 from the charity stripe after the intermission.
The Spartans led by as many as nine in the first half after a free throw by Jamel Fuentes made it 26-17 with 4:37 remaining in the period. But UMES went on an 11-2 run, capped by a jumper by Hillary Haley, to tie the game at 28-all. Haley then hit two free throws with 0.2 seconds left in the half to take a 32-31 lead going into the break.
Read more at NSUSpartans.com.
Bethune-Cookman Pulls Out 59-56 Thriller
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Some things from last year's Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season championship may have carried over for Bethune-Cookman. On Saturday they were the ability to pull out a last-second road thriller and Kevin Dukes hitting the big shot at North Carolina A&T as the Wildcats stunned the Aggies 59-56 in the Corbett Center.
Dukes drained two three-pointers in the final 26 seconds , including the game-winner with seven seconds left as the Wildcats (5-11 overall, 2-0 MEAC) erased a 56-51 deficit to post their first true road win of the season and their first victory in a game decided by five points or less.
B-CU has now won ten straight road games against MEAC opposition, with eight decided in the final 30 seconds or overtime. Two of them came here at A&T, both aided by a Duke three-pointer in the clutch.
Read more at B-CUathletics.com
Missed Opportunities Result in First home Loss of Season for NCCU
DURHAM, N.C. - North Carolina Central missed a golden opportunity to start 2-0 in the MEAC when the Eagles could not connect on five free throws down the backstretch of the second half and allowed Amin Stevens to record his first double-double of the season, while Reggie Lewis scored a season-high 22 points, sparking Florida A&M University to the 62-60 win on Saturday afternoon inside McDougald-McLendon Gym.
With conference play underway, the intensity was taken to another level in this game as the teams combined for 11 ties and six lead changes in their sixth meeting all-time.
Neither team had a lead larger than five in the first half, as the Eagles led 11-9 with 11:42 left following a David Best put back, but the Rattlers responded with a 6-1 run of to grab a 15-12 lead with 9:31 remaining.
The rest of the first frame went back-and-forth, but the maroon and gray made the last move, breaking open a 26-all contest with a 5-0 spurt that was highlighted by a Jeremy Ingram 3-pointer sending NCCU into the locker room with a 31-26 lead.
Trailing 33-26 with 19:27 to go, Florida A&M made its biggest move of the day, going on an 13-to-3 run to take a 39-36 lead with 15:47 to go in the second half.
Read the full story at NCCUEaglePride.com
MSU Holds off Bulldog's 2nd Half Rally, 73-68
ORANGBURG, S.C. - Ameer Ali scored 19 points to lead Morgan State almost wire-to-wire over South Carolina State 73-68 in its conference opener on Saturday at the S-H-M Memorial Center.
The Bears (3-9, 1-0 MEAC) had four players in double figures as Kevin Thompson had 17 points, DeWayne Jackson 14 and Ian Chiles 10. Ali, who came into tonight's contest fresh off a career high 21 points against San Francisco, was 7 of 9 from the free-throw line.
Morgan State shot 41.7 percent from the field (14 of 33) and snapped a two-game losing streak. The win also marked the Bears' fourth straight against SCSU, and also improved MSU coach Todd Bozeman's record against the Bulldogs to 10-2 since 2006.
The game was tied at 11 apiece (12:15) before the Bears used a 14-0 run and Aric Brooks hit a jumper to give MSU a 25-11 lead with 8:24 to go in the in the first half. The Bears led 39-30 at halftime. Morgan State outscored the Bulldogs 32-20 in the paint.
Read more at MorganStateBears.com.
Tuitt Leads Hampton to Win Over Howard
HAMPTON, Va. - Mike Tuitt scored 15 of his team-high 20 points in the second half, including a key three-point play with nine seconds remaining to lift Hampton to a 57-55 win over Howard in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game at the HU Convocation Center.
The Bison (4-13 overall, 1-3 in the MEAC) appeared to be in good shape when Glenn Andrews scored all nine of his team's points en route to a 55-52 lead with 31 ticks on the clock. Tuitt was fouled nine seconds later and converted two free throws to cut the deficit to 55-54 with 22 seconds remaining.
Howard's freshman guard Simuel Frazier was fouled but he missed both free throws, setting the stage for Tuitt. The senior guard drove to his left and three up an off balance shot that banked off the glass. He was fouled on the play and calmly finished off the 3-point play.
Howard used its final timeout to set up a game-winning basket. Frazier drove the length of the court, penetrated the Pirates defense and found Brandon Ford all alone in the corner. Ford's shot hit the back of the rim and rolled off as the time expired.
The first half saw both teams struggling to generate any offense. They both shot 22 percent and the Bison took a 22-21 lead to the locker room. Andrews led all scorers with 10 points.
Read more at Howard-Bison.com.
Tigers Overcome Second Half Deficit to Knock of CSU Eagles
SAVANNAH, Ga. - Tony Gallo scored 15 points and Antonio Williams added 14 points and seven rebounds, but Savannah State overcame a nine-point second-half deficit on its way to a 72-60 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference victory over Coppin State on Saturday in Tiger Arena.
Coppin State (6-9, 1-1 MEAC) held a 38-29 lead at halftime and led 45-36 with 17:16 to play before the Tigers rallied.
Arnold Louis, who led Savannah State with 24 points and 17 rebounds, scored four points during a 7-0 run that brought the Tigers to within 45-43 with 15:15 to play in the second half.
Taariq Cephas ended the run with a three-pointer for Coppin State that pushed the lead to 48-43 with 14:10 remaining.
Read the full story at CoppinStateSports.com.