Men's Basketball

MEAC Men’s Basketball Recap, Jan. 25

North Carolina Central 72, Delaware State 45
North Carolina A&T State 98, Bethune-Cookman 95
Morgan State 50, Coppin State 48
Florida A&M 87, Howard 83
Norfolk State 73, South Carolina State 62  
 
North Carolina Central 72, Delaware State 45
 
DURHAM, N.C. – After a slow-going first half of play, North Carolina Central University picked up the pace in the second half to pull away from Delaware State for a 72-45 win inside McDougald-McLendon Arena on Saturday, Jan. 25.
 
Jibri Blount (Pittsburgh, Pa.) started the scoring for NCCU (8-12, 4-2 MEAC) and really set the tone for the game as he scored the first six points of the contest.  Those six points put the Eagles ahead of DSU (2-16, 1-3 MEAC) and the hosts never looked back as they led the Hornets wire-to-wire.  Blount picked up 17 points in the first 20 minutes, and nearly outscored the Hornets himself as the Eagles took a 27-20 lead to the break.
 
The Eagles put together a 20-4 run in the second half and outscored the Hornets 45-25 after the intermission to sprint away with a 72-45 victory.  Blount recorded his third consecutive double-double, and his fifth in the last six games as he tied his career-high with 33 points and tacked on 10 rebounds and five steals.  Evan Clayborne (Dayton, Ohio) helped to protect the paint with 12 points and six rebounds, and Deven Palmer (Hyde Park, Mass.) was the third Eagle in double-digits with 11 points.
 
DSU's top scorer was Ameer Bennett (Richmond, Va.) with 13 points, and John Crosby (Baltimore, Md.) collected 11 points, five assists and six rebounds for the Hornets.
 
Recap | Box Score
North Carolina A&T State 98, Bethune-Cookman 95
 
EAST GREENSBORO – Junior guard Kameron Langley notched his second-straight double-double with 16 points and 12 assists to lift North Carolina A&T over Bethune-Cookman, 98-95, inside the Corbett Sports Center Saturday evening in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) men's basketball action. 

Langley also hauled in six rebounds and swiped five steals. He is now 62 assists shy of breaking the school record for career assists. 

"Any win is a good win," said acting head coach Will Jones who is 6-2 since taking over the program. "We have to continue to improve and continue to get better. We're giving up way too many points and we need to figure that out on the defensive end."

N.C. A&T moves to 9-12 overall and they stay near the top of the MEAC standings with a 5-1 mark. The Aggies have now won 19-straight games against conference opponents. Bethune-Cookman was the last MEAC team to beat the Aggies in Corbett on Feb. 27, 2017. 

Senior guard Andre Jackson poured in 18 points while junior guard Kwe Parker posted a career-high 15. Senior forward Ronald Jackson earned his 10th double-double on the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds. 

Sophomore Tyrone Lyons scored 13 points to round out double-figure scoring for the Aggies. The Aggies shot 11-21 from beyond the arc.

There were five lead changes and five ties in the last 10 minutes of the game. The game was tied at 78 with 5:53 remaining before Bethune's Wali Parks completed a rare four-point play. Langley responded for the Aggies, scoring four straight points to tie the game once again. 
 
Recap | Box Score
Morgan State 50, Coppin State 48
 
BALTIMORE, Md. (January 25, 2020) – Stanley Davis scored a game-high 13 points with 10 rebounds and Sherwyn Devonish-Prince added 11 points including the game-winning basket, as Morgan State rallied from behind to defeat crosstown rival Coppin State, 50-48 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) showdown at the Physical Education Complex.
 
David Syfax grabbed nine rebounds and added seven points, while Troy Baxter chipped in seven points in the win for Morgan State (10-12, 4-3 MEAC), which posted its first win against Coppin State since Feb. 26, 2018. 
 
"This was just another game on our schedule," said MSU head coach Kevin Broadus. "It happened to be against a cross-town rival."
 
"It was what I expected, but now that we got the win it was even better."
 
The Bears improved to 33-60 all-time against the Eagles, who fell to 5-16 overall and 1-5 in the MEAC.
 
Andrew Robinson scored 12 points and had seven rebounds to lead the Eagles. Dejuan Clayton added nine points and Brendon Medley-Bacon finished with a game-high 24 rebounds to go along with eight points and three blocks.
 
Trailing by 10 at halftime, the Bears began closing the gap. Jamar Brown scored on a dunk and Devonish hit a three to pull the Bears within 28-23.
 
Recap | Box Score
Florida A&M 87, Howard 83
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. | Rod Melton, Jr. tied a career-high 27 points, including going 10-of-13 from the free-throw line, as the Florida A&M University men's basketball team held off Howard, 87-83, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) game on Saturday afternoon at Burr Gymnasium. 
 
Florida A&M (6-12 overall, 4-3 MEAC), which matched its season-long win streak with the victory over Howard, led by as many as 18 and watched it disappear in the second half. The Rattlers led 45-27 late in the first half, but the Bison (2-19, 0-6) used a 23-4 run to open the second half and took a 58-51 advantage with 13:54 remaining.
 
Melton poured in a game-high 27 points, on 8-of-14 shooting, along with three rebounds and one steal to pace the FAMU offense. DJ Jones registered 12 points, six boards, one assist and one block, while Nasir Core added 12 points, two assists, one steal. MJ Randolph recorded 11 points, seven rebounds and tied a career high with six assists. Bryce Moragne chipped in 10 points, a team-high eight boards and two steals.
 
Charles Williams led Howard with 21 points, on 8-of-12 shooting, with four rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block. Nate Garvey registered 16 points, three assists, two rebounds and one block, while Wayne Bristol, Jr. poured in 13 points and four rebounds. Khalil Robinson tallied 11 points and a game-high nine assists.
 
Recap | Box Score
Norfolk State 73, South Carolina State 62

NORFOLK, Va. – Four players reached double figures, and the Norfolk State men's basketball team held South Carolina State down in a 73-62 win on Saturday evening in a MEAC game at Joseph Echols Hall.
 
The Spartans maintained first place in the league at 5-0 while dropping the previous second-place Bulldogs to 4-2. Senior Jermaine Bishop led all players with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting with four assists.
 
NSU made 45 percent from the field for its fifth win in a row, improving its overall record to 9-11. The Spartans held a sizeable +9 edge on the glass as well.
 
Jahmari Etienne scored 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting as the only player in double figures for South Carolina State. The Bulldogs fell to 9-9 overall.
 
The Spartans never trailed in the last 10 minutes of the first half, and they led by as much as 15 in the second. South Carolina State had trailed by just four at the half but was unable to get going in the second.
 
Up 35-31 after shooting 48 percent in the first half, NSU started the second by scoring nine of the first 11 points to push the lead to double digits for the first time. Bishop's 3-pointer stretched the lead to 12, and it went to 14 on sophomore Chris Ford's 3-point play with 14:18 to go in the game.


Recap | Box Score