Box Score

NORFOLK, Va., March 6, 2018 -- Reggie Gardner, Jr. scored 20 points as North Carolina Central pulled away to a 60-48 victory over Coppin State in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Basketball Tournament game Tuesday evening at the Norfolk Scope Arena.

The Eagles (16-15) will meet Savannah State in the quarterfinals Thursday at 6 p.m. Coppin State concludes its season 5-27.

Gardner hit four three-pointers in the second half after the two squads put on a wretched shooting display in the first half that produced 43 missed attempts out of 54 shots.

North Carolina Central shot a respectable 48 (12-25)  percent in the second half while limiting the Eagles to 28.3 percent (15-53) for the game.

Coppin State did manage an 18-17 halftime on Lucian Brownlee’s 3-pointers with four seconds remaining and again at 24-23 on two Corey Council free throws with 14:28 to play.

Gardner canned consecutive three-pointers to give the Eagles a 29-23 lead. Central made separation four minutes later, turning a 35-33 lead into a 48-35 advantage on two Pablo Rivas free throws with 5:19. The Eagles led by as many as 19 down the stretch.

Jordan Perkins had 12 points and five assists for the Eagles. Raasean Davis posted a team-high nine rebounds, and Dominque Reed finished with nine points and six assists.

Karonn Davis led Coppin State with 13 points, while Lamar Morgan added 10.