Pirates Battle Back to Defeat Bethune-Cookman
HAMPTON, Va.—Despite trailing by as many as 10 in the second half, the Hampton University men’s basketball team battled back to beat Bethune-Cookman 75-70 Saturday evening at the HU Convocation Center.
The Pirates improved to 7-7 overall and 3-0 in MEAC play.
Reginald Johnson, Jr. led three Pirates in double figures with 18 points, hitting seven of his 11 free throws, while also dishing out four assists and grabbing three steals. Brian Darden and Jervon Pressley each added 17 points; Pressley also grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.
Pressley also set a new career high in points.
Darden, who also dished out four assists, hit three 3-pointers.
The Pirates shot 44.1-percent (26-for-59) from the floor – including a 52.0-percent clip (13-for-25) in the second half – hitting five of their 21 3-pointers (23.8-percent) and 18 of their 33 free throws (54.5-percent). Hampton also held a 42-30 edge on the glass.
Bethune-Cookman (4-12, 1-1 MEAC) shot 45.6-percent (26-for-57) from the floor and made eight of 24 3-pointers (33.3-percent). The Wildcats also went 10-for-13 (76.9-percent) from the free throw line.
Ricky Johnson led four Wildcats in double figures with 20 points.
The Pirates will play host to Florida A&M on Monday.
For complete story, visit www.hamptonpirates.com or www.bcuathletics.com
NCCU Stopped By Hot-Shooting South Carolina State
ORANGEBURG, S.C. — North Carolina Central University was out-gunned by a hot-shooting South Carolina State University squad as the Bulldogs were able to pull away for a 91-75 win at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center in Orangeburg, South Carolina on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016.
SC State (7-10, 2-1 MEAC) shot 63.3 percent from the floor (31-49) and made 12 of 22 three-pointers on its way to the victory.
SC State led by as many as 20 in the half, but NCCU cut the deficit to as low as nine with help from Patrick Cole as he poured in 12 points of his game-high and NCCU career-high 24 after the midway point. However, strong team play from SC State kept the Eagles at bay as four Bulldogs ended in double-figures led by Stephens' 23 points.
Dante Holmes had a strong second half with eight of his 10 points, and Jeremiah Ingram put in 12 points for NCCU.
The win for SC State marked its first victory against NCCU in 10 meetings, and the first time in the Division I era for NCCU.
The Eagles head to Savannah State on Monday, Jan. 11.
For complete story, visit www.nccueaglepride.com or www.scsuathletics.com
Daniel and Boyd’s Strong Second Half Help Howard To Win
Washington, D.C.—James Daniel, III scored 18 of his game-high 28 points in the second half and Marcel Boyd added 13 of his 23 after intermission to lead Howard University to a 72-63 win over Coppin State in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men’s game at Burr Gymnasium.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Bison (8-9, 2-1 in the MEAC) while the Eagles (2-14, 0-3 in the MEAC) dropped their 10th straight.
Coppin State connected on 5 of 17 in the first 20 minutes but the Bison limited them to 1 of 12 in the second half.
Terry Harris led the Eagles with 16 points and nine rebounds, Keith Shivers with 14 and Christian Kessee with 13.
The Bison will travel to Dover, Del. to take on the Hornets of Delaware State on Monday.
For complete story, visit www.hubison.com or www.coppinstatesports.com
Norfolk State Rolls Past Florida A&M
NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk State outscored Florida A&M by 17 in the second half on the way to a 77-56 men’s basketball win over the Rattlers on Saturday evening at Joseph Echols Hall.
The Spartans broke a four-game losing streak with their second solid win of the year in conference play. NSU led by four at the break but exploded in the second half, shooting 50-percent and outscoring the Rattlers 50-33.
The victory improved NSU’s MEAC record to 2-0 and its overall mark to 6-11. The Spartans are now just one of two teams in the conference without a loss along with Hampton (3-0).
Senior Jeff Short led the Spartans and was one of four players in double figures with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting. He added seven boards and four assists as well. NSU also got a strong showing from senior D’Shon Taylor, who tallied his second double-double of the year with 13 points and 11 rebounds while adding two assists and two steals.
Florida A&M (5-11, 1-2 MEAC) was led by Malcolm Bernard, who posted 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists. The Rattlers, though, shot just 17-of-56 (30.4-percent) from the floor and committed 16 turnovers.
Freshman Alex Long added a career-best 11 points with five rebounds. He shot 4-of-5 from the floor as NSU hit 25-of-58 (43.1-percent) for the game.
The Spartans will host Bethune-Cookman on Monday to close out the weekend.
For complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com or www.famuathletics.com.
Hornets' Late Rally Falls Short in Loss to Bears in MEAC Opener
Baltimore, Md. — Delaware State cut a 17-point second half deficit to four in the closing seconds, but could get no closer in a 63-58 loss to Morgan State in the Hornets’ MEAC opener at Hill Field House today.
The loss overshadowed a career performance by DSU freshman guard Devin Morgan, who scored a career-high 27 points, including 18 in the second half, to lead all players. Morgan’s point total marked a single-game high for the Hornets this season. He was 10-for-10 at the free throw line to improve to 89.7-percent for the season (26-for-29).
Morgan State scored the first 10 points of the game, and never trailed, to snap a nine-game losing streak. The Bears improved to 3-12 overall and 1-1 in the MEAC.
The Hornets fell to 1-14 overall.
Kyle Thomas came off the bench to lead Morgan State with 14 points, while Andre Horne added 13 for the Bears.
Blossom topped the Bears with a game-high 12 rebounds. Phillip Carr had 10 boards for DSU.
The Hornets return to action on Monday (Jan. 11) with a MEAC home contest against Howard.
For complete story, visit www.dsuhornets.com or www.morganstatebears.com