Box Score | MEACHoops.com


NORFOLK, Va., March 8, 2023 – Justin Wright led three North Carolina Central players in double figures with 23 points to lead the second-seeded Eagles to an 89-59 triumph over seventh-seeded Delaware State Wednesday in quarterfinal action of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Basketball Tournament at the Scope Arena.
 
Devin Butts added 15 points and Eric Boone 13 and five boards for head coach LeVelle Moton’s team, which improved to 18-11 on the season. Brendan Medley-Bacon was also in double figures with 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field.
 
The Eagles on Friday will meet the winner of Thursday’s quarterfinal contest between third-seeded Norfolk State and sixth-seeded Coppin State.
 
The Hornets were led by Khyrie Staten with 18 points. Martaz Robinson added 13 points and seven boards, and Cameron Stitt 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in the loss.
 
Delaware State closed its season at 6-24.
 
NCCU, which won its eighth straight contest, built a 36-24 lead at the half and went on to outscore the Hornets 53-36 in the final 20 minutes in earning the victory. Moton’s team began the second half with a 15-3 run that pushed the Eagles ahead 51-47 when Medley-Bacon got inside for a layup with 15:37 on the clock.
 
Delaware State, which committed 17 turnovers and gave up 17 fast-break points to the Eagles, was unable to make a run the rest of the way. The Eagles took their biggest lead of the game -- 37 points -- with just over five minutes left on a jumper by Wright.
 
NCCU made 52.5 percent (32-61) of its attempts from the field, while the Hornets could must only a 36.8 percent accuracy (21-57) on their shots. The Eagles were also very effective from beyond the arc, connecting on 14-27 three-point attempts. Delaware State made just 5-21 tries from long range.
 
“We shot the ball well and had a good night from three-point range,” Moton said. “I’m proud of our team, we are moving on but we still have a lot of work left. I hope we can continue to play well.”
 
Second-year Hornet head coach Stan Waterman praised the effort of the Eagles, who swept the three games against his team.
 
“NCCU put on an outstanding performance against us,” Waterman said. “We played hard but was just not good enough against a well-coach team of NCCU’s caliber. We just have to regroup and look to next season.”