Eagles Slay Dragons In First Home Game Of 2013
DURHAM, N.C. - Behind 24 forced turnovers, a season-high 12 three-pointers, and four student-athletes in double-figures, the North Carolina Central University men's basketball team cruised to the 97-28 victory over Virginia University of Lynchburg, earning it second consecutive win on Tuesday night at McDougald-McLendon Gym in Durham, N.C.
Antonin Galaya hit a season-high six three-pointers and finished with a game-high 18 points in the win. Entering play on Tuesday evening, Galaya had only hit five shots from the outside and had only scored 15 points on the year.
The maroon and gray defense was stifling from the tip-off as the visiting Dragons failed to get on the scoreboard through the first eight minutes and 21 seconds of the game as the Eagles led 13-0 and VUL started the game 0-for-10 from the field.
Devon McKoy's three-pointer with 11:39 left in the first frame marked the first basket for the Dragons putting the score at 13-3.
With 6:55 to go in the first frame, Alfonzo Houston's hoop-and-the-harm gave NCCU a 24-9 lead and launched Emanuel Chapman into the record books. Chapman became the fifth Eagle to record 300 career assists, as the Raleigh native ended the night with 10 assists, his seventh double figure performance during his career.
Over the final 4:23 of the first half, the Eagles (8-7, 1-0 MEAC) went on a 14-0 run that included three shots from behind-the-arc by Galaya that sent NCCU into the locker room with the 43-11 lead.
Head coach LeVelle Moton and his squad kept the pedal to the medal in the second half shooting 69.7 percent from the field (23-of-33) and used the same defensive pressure to outscore the Dragons 54-to-17 in the final stanza as the Eagles soared to the 97-28 victory.
Along with Galaya's effort, three other Eagles scored in double figures as Ray Willis shot 6-for-10 from the field to end up with 16 points and five rebounds, Stanton Kidd recorded his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Karamo Jawara scored a career-high 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field.
VUL (9-14) was led by Egor Shakhmetov's 13 points as the seven-footer was the lone Dragon in double-figures in the loss.
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