NCCU Sets School Record in Victory over Bethune-Cookman
DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central University shot a season-best 61.9 percent from the field and forced the visiting Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman University into 20 turnovers as the Eagles cruised to the 77-54 win on Saturday afternoon, setting a new school record as the maroon and gray have now won 20-straight games inside McDougald-McLendon Gym.
The win breaks the previous mark of 19-straight which was set from Jan. 7, 1989 till Feb. 17, 1990 as the Eagles won the last six home games during the magical National Championship season, then went unbeaten at home in 13 contests in the 1989-90 campaign. This now stands as the new mark on record as there were no home or away designations for games played prior to the 1987-88 campaign in the record books. The maroon and gray are tied with Harvard for sixth in the nation with 20 consecutive wins at home.
NCCU jumped out to a 21-7 lead in the first nine minutes aided by the golden touch of Reggie Groves who drilled his first three shots from deep to get the Eagle offense rolling. The maroon and gray led by as many as 13 in the first frame and took that margin into the locker room with a 35-22 advantage.
Bethune-Cookman continued to fight in the second half, mounting a rally through the first three-and-a-half minutes as Malik Jackson’s three-pointer cut the margin to single digits at 41-32, but a minute later an Emanuel Chapman three-pointer and a Karamo Jawara dunk stretched the lead back to 14 at 48-34 with 14:27 to go.
Read more at B-CUAthletics.com.
Hornets Run by Bulldogs for First MEAC Win
DOVER, Del. - Tyshawn Bell tied his career high with 19 points to lead three Delaware State players in double figures in the Hornets' 61-53 win over visiting South Carolina State today.
DSU's first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win of the season (1-8) also snapped an overall seven-game losing streak to improve its season record to 5-17.
Bell was seven-for-11 from the field, including four-of-seven from three-point territory. The four three-pointers also tied a career-high.
Kendal Williams added 14 points for the Hornets. He was four-for-seven from the floor (one three-pointer) and five-of-six at the free throw line.
Casey Walker came off the bench to contribute 11 points to the win. His performance was highlighted by three three-pointers (3-for-6).
Read more at DSUHornets.com.
Pirates Jump on Howard Early, Hold on For Win
HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men’s basketball team controlled much of Saturday evening’s contest against rival Howard at the HU Convocation Center and withstood a late rally to take a 63-47 win.
The Pirates are now 12-11 overall and 7-3 in the MEAC.
Senior forward Du’Vaughn Maxwell led the Pirates with 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting, while sophomore guard Brian Darden added 14 points.
Sophomore guard Ke’Ron Brown grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds.
Howard led 4-1 after a James Miller jumper with 16:08 left in the first half, then the Bison went cold – not hitting another field goal until the 5:03 mark, when Damon Collins hit a layup. In that span, the Pirates went on a 21-2 run, taking a 22-6 lead at the 5:24 mark on a jumper from Maxwell.
After the Bison ended their drought, the Pirates scored five unanswered points – a jumper from redshirt-sophomore guard Dwight Meikle and a Maxwell trey – to take a 27-8 lead with 3:19 left in the half.
Howard didn’t hit double figures until the 2:50 mark, after a trey from Solomon Mangham.
Meikle ended the half with a pair of emphatic dunks – the first being a one-handed reverse jam with a defender in his face – off a no-look pass from senior guard Ramon Mercado (Hollywood, Fla.) with 1:27 left in the half to put the Pirates up 31-13.
He ended the half with another dunk, a two-handed putback stuff as the clock wound down to send the Pirates into the break with a 36-15 lead.
Howard had five field goals and 12 turnovers in the first half.
Read more at HamptonPirates.com.
Spartans Take Down Morgan State
BALTIMORE, Md. – The Norfolk State men’s basketball team shut down Morgan State and got a measure of revenge in the process in a 64-53 victory over the Bears on Saturday afternoon at the Talmadge Hill Field House.
Both teams were tied for second place in the MEAC coming into the day, but the Spartans pushed ahead of MSU in the standings thanks to 16 points from senior Pendarvis Williams and a defensive effort that held the Bears to just 33 percent shooting on the day.
The victory moved NSU into sole possession of second place in the conference at 7-2 behind league leader North Carolina Central. The Spartans now stand 13-10 overall as well.
MSU (8-13, 6-3), which won the season’s earlier meeting in Norfolk, was led by Justin Black with 16 points and Ian Chiles with 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine blocks.
Sophomore RaShid Gaston added 11 points, and junior Jamel Fuentes also scored in double figures for NSU with 10.
Read the complete story at NSUSpartans.com.
Eagle Record Second Straight Win
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. -For the third straight game, the Eagles found themselves locked in another tight struggle coming down the stretch. This time, Coppin State was on the road against Maryland Eastern Shore. Once again, the Eagles found the final result to their liking for the second straight outing.
Coppin State made all the right plays down the stretch to rally for a
much-needed 58-50 victory over UMES in a rock 'em, sock 'em
MEAC men's basketball game at the W.P. Hytche Center Saturday afternoon. The Eagles had a strong finishing kick to win consecutive MEAC games for the first time this season.
The Eagles (9-14 overall, 6-4 MEAC) buckled down defensively and held the Hawks (3-17, 1-7) scoreless for the final 4 minutes, 48 seconds of the game to head back across the Chesapeake Bay with smiles on their faces. During that span, Coppin State closed the game by scoring the final 11 points. On its final eight possessions of the game, UMES missed six shots and had two turnovers.
Read the full story at Coppinstatesports.com.