Brooks' Late Free Throws Stun Hornets, 73-72
Dover, Del. - Morgan State's Aric Brooks sank two technical free throws with 1.1 seconds left to give the Bears a 73-72 win over Delaware State in a bizarre finish in Memorial Hall this evening.
Delaware State appeared to win the game, 72-71, on a follow-up slam by Tahj Tate with 0.4 seconds showing on the clock, prompting Hornet fans to storm the court.
After a conference, the officials accessed a techincal foul on Delaware State for delay of game and reset the game clock to 1.1 seconds.
Morgan State was awarded two free throws and possession of the ball for the technical. Brooks hit the two free throws and the Bears ran out the remaining time to give Delaware State its first MEAC loss since Feb. 4, snapping the Hornets' school record 10-game win streak in league play.
The loss, coupled with Savannah State's win over North Carolina A&T this evening, eliminated the Hornets (11-4) from the MEAC regular season championship race.
Threatt led all players with 19 points (8-12 FGs), while Tate added 18 points, all in the second half, for the Hornets.
Blake Bozeman led four Morgan State players in double figures with 14 points. Aric Brooks, Ian Chiles and Justin Black each finished with 10 points.
To Read the complete story, visit www.dsuhornets.com or www.morganstatebears.com
Williams Sparks Second Half Comeback for CSU Eagles
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. -- Antonio Williams scored 11 of his team-high 15 points in the second half helping Coppin State overcome a seven-point halftime deficit on its way to a 64-60 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference victory over Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday in the WP Hytche Center.
Williams finished the game with 15 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Eagles to a season sweep of Maryland Eastern Shore. Logan Wiens added 11 points for Coppin State, while Akeem Ellis had six points and 10 rebounds.
UMES's Percy Woods led all scorers with 18 points.
To Read the complete story, visit www.coppinstatesports.com or www.umeshawks.com
NCCU Finishes Off BullDogs To Earn Season Sweep
ORANGEBURG, S.C. - Jeremy Ingram's 17 first half points, senior Dominique Sutton's eighth double-double of the season, and stellar Eagle defense was all North Carolina Central University needed to earn the season sweep over host South Carolina State University 71-57 on Monday night inside the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center in Orangeburg, S.C.
Ingram's astonishing play in the first half gave NCCU all the energy it needed to get the win as the sophomore shot 6-of-9 (66.6 percent) from the field that included a 4-for-6 effort from the outside to give him 17 points.
The Bulldogs battled with a ton of heart, but the final 20 minutes of play belonged to Sutton who scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Sutton led all scorers with 23 points and 11 rebounds earning his eighth double-double of the season. Ingram ended the night with 19 points and five rebounds in the win, but his first half effort played a key role in the Eagle win, while Willis went 7-for-9 from the foul line to seal the deal for NCCU. The junior has hit 48 of his last 51 free throws.
The top two players for SCSU, Riley and Toombs, combined to finish the evening 8-for-31 (25.8 percent) as Toombs led the Bulldogs with 17 points while Riley ended up with 12 in the loss.
The win for NCCU (15-14) guarantees a winning record within the league as the Eagles are now 9-6 in conference play.
With the conference tournament less than a week away, NCCU could find itself as high as the No. 4 seed or as low as the No. 6 seed with a win or a loss to the Pirates.
To Read more, visit www.nccueaglepride.com or www.scsuathletics.com
Pirates Fall On The Road To Bethune-Cookman
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Hampton University men's basketball team lost another tough contest on the road Monday night, falling 74-64 to Bethune-Cookman at the historic Moore Gymnasium.
The Pirates (10-19, 6-9 MEAC) have only won one game on the road this season.
Senior guard Darrion Pellum (Hampton, Va.) led three Pirates in double figures with 19 points, despite shooting 6-for-21 from the floor, while senior guard Mike Tuitt (Bronx, N.Y.) added 12 points. Senior forward Danny Agbelese (Lanham, Md.) poured in 10 points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Pirates shot 41.0 percent (25-for-61) from the floor, but made just five of their 21 3-pointers and nine of their 15 free throws. Hampton out-rebounded the Wildcats 36-31 and led 19-5 in second-chance points.
Bethune-Cookman (14-16, 10-5 MEAC) shot 54.2 percent (26-for-48) from the floor, hitting five of its 13 3-pointers and 17 of its 24 free throws. The Wildcats also scored 23 points off 13 Hampton turnovers.
Holloman led four Wildcats in double figures with 16 points. Elliott and Adrien Coleman each added 15 points, while Dukes poured in 13 points.
To Read more, visit www.hamptonpirates.com or www.b-cuathletics.com
Spartans Get Record 12th MEAC Win, Clinch Tourney Bye with Win over FAMU
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Chris McEachin led four Norfolk State players in double figures with 16 points to help Norfolk State win its school-record 12th MEAC game of the year and clinch a first-round MEAC Tournament bye by winning 79-70 at Florida A&M's Alfred Lawson Center on Monday night.
The Spartans, who won their third consecutive game, improved to 21-9 overall and 12-3 in the MEAC. The 12 MEAC wins are a new program best, topping the 2007-08 and 2004-05 teams which both won 11. The victory Monday also assures NSU of a top-three finish in the conference standings and a first-round MEAC Tournament bye.
Williams contributed 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals for NSU. Rogers was 5-of-8 from the floor and 3-of-3 from the foul line en route to a career-high 13 points off the Spartan bench. O'Quinn posted his 18th double-double of the year with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and he also swatted four shots and was credited with two steals.
Amin Stevens tallied 19 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Rattlers, who were held to 39 percent shooting on the night. Crowder had 15 points and eight boards, Avery Moore scored 11 points and Reggie Lewis had 10.
NSU closes its regular season with a 7:30 p.m. game Thursday night at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C. After Delaware State (11-4 MEAC) lost Monday to Morgan State, the Spartans are now alone in second place in the conference standings, one game behind first-place Savannah State (13-2). NSU would need a win over A&T and an SSU loss at Maryland Eastern Shore on Thursday to earn a share of its first-ever MEAC regular-season title. The Spartans do hold the tie-breaker over SSU by virtue of beating the Tigers in December.
To Read more, visit www.nsuspartans.com or www.famuathletics.com
Tigers Earn 20th Win and Share of MEAC Regular Season Title
SAVANNAH, Ga.- The Savannah State men's basketball team earned their 20th win of the season with a 62-50 victory over North Carolina A&T at Tiger Arena.
The crowd of 2,940 saw the Tigers improve to 20-10 overall and 13-2 in the MEAC.
Deric Rudolph scored a game-high 15 points, all in the first half, to lead SSU.
A&T led 5-4 early in the game but a 3-pointer by Ruldolph started a 10-0 run by the Tigers that gave the home team a 14-5 edge with 16:29 on the clock.
Down 16-7, Jared Williams hit back to back 3-pointers as the Aggies put together a 12-2 run to take a 19-18 lead with 13:13 left in the half.
That ignited a 17-5 rally by the Tigers which was started by a Rudolph 3-pointer and gave SSU a 35-24 lead with 4:13 remaining.
SSU led by as many as 15 in the opening half and led 42-28 at the break.
A layup by Jyles Smith gave SSU a 46-27 lead with 17:57 left and a jumper by Rashad Hassan pushed the Tigers advantage to 53-34 with 11:11 remaining.
The Tigers had their biggest lead of the evening at 56-36 after a Stephen Wilson free throw with 9:16 left in the game.
A&T answered with nine straight points to get within 11 but back to back 3-pointers by Preston Blackman gave SSU a 62-45 lead with 3:50 left.
Blackman added 14 points and six assists for the Tigers while Smith grabbed 10 rebounds.
Williams came off the bench to pace the Aggies (12-18, 7-8) with 12 points.
SSU, who is on a 12 game winning streak, shot 45.7 percent from the field in the opening period but dipped to 27.6 percent in the second half. A&T shot 35.3 percent from the floor for the game.
Savannah State, who was held without a field goal the final 3:50, out-rebounded the Aggies 40 to 36.
The last Savannah State team to win 20-games in a season was the 1980-81 squad which went 25-4, won the SIAC Division III championship, the NCAA South Regional Championship and the NCAA Division III South Quarterfinal runner up. That same team, under coach Russell Ellington, won 15 consecutive games before losing to Otterbein College.
To Read more, visit www.ssuathletics.com or www.ncataggies.com