Box Score | Updated Bracket

NORFOLK, Va., March 14, 2019--Third-seeded North Carolina Central rode a big first half on the way to a 75-57 win over No. 11 seed Delaware State on Thursday evening in the MEAC tournament quarterfinals at Scope Arena.
 
The Eagles shot 61 percent from the floor in the first half and 54 percent for the game. They advance to face No. 2 seed North Carolina A&T State Friday at 8 p.m. in the semifinal round. The Aggies won both meetings this year with NCCU.
 
Randy Miller Jr. scored 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting with five rebounds as one of four players in double figures for North Carolina Central (16-15).
 
Delaware State (6-25) never led, shooting just 35 percent. Kevin Larkin paced the Hornets with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists.
 
The Eagles made six of 13 from deep in the first half as they raced out to a 16-point advantage. They led 11-4 early on after a block on one end led to a layup in transition from Miller on the other. Zacarry Douglas had seven of those points and was more than halfway to a double-double with more than 14 minutes still left in the first half.
 
The Hornets were within three several times, but John Guerra and Reggie Gardner Jr. knocked down 3-pointers from opposite corners to spark the Eagles. Jibri Blount had a pair of jumpers in the lane, and Larry McKnight hit a pair from beyond the arc from the left wing for a 35-23 advantage with four and a half minutes to go in the half.
 
Capped by a fastbreak slam by McKnight off a turnover and an alley-oop dunk from Davis with time running down, the Eagles scored the last seven points of the first period for a 44-28 advantage. They made 17-of-28 in those first 20 minutes of play.
 
McKnight, Blount and Raasean Davis each scored 10 points on the night, shooting a combined 14-of-22 from the floor. Davis and McKnight also combined for 11 rebounds
 
The Hornets called timeout after the Eagles stretched the lead to 20 early in the second half. The Hornets then scored nine of the next 11 points, including a 3-point play from Larkin, to cut the deficit to 52-39 with 13:50 left.
 
But that was as close as the Hornets got, as Julian Walters and Miller countered with 3-pointers from opposite wings to push the Eagle lead back up to 19. The Hornets were within 15 with less than two minutes to go, but NCCU led by as much as 21 late in the game on back-to-back layups from Jordan Perkins.
 
The Hornets finished with 16 offensive rebounds and a 19-10 edge in second-chance points. They also had just nine fouls and committed nine turnovers compared to 16 for NCCU. Saleik Edwards added 13 points with five rebounds for Delaware State, which made just 4-of-22 from 3-point range.
 
Douglas fell one point short of a double-double, tallying nine points and 12 boards. The Eagles had 18 assists on their 29 baskets.