Men's Basketball | 3/14/2026 12:17:44 AM

NORFOLK, Va. (March 13, 2026) – Kyric Davis made all 11 of his field-goal attempts and finished with 23 points and a game-high eight rebounds to lead third-seeded North Carolina Central Eagles men's basketball to a 59-53 victory over seventh-seeded Delaware State Hornets men's basketball Friday in the quarterfinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament at Norfolk Scope Arena. 

Davis also connected on one of three free throws, capping a near-perfect shooting performance for the Eagles. 

Kelechi Okworogwo also scored in double figures for North Carolina Central, which advanced to Saturday’s MEAC championship game. The Eagles will face top-seeded Howard Bison men's basketball, who defeated fifth-seeded South Carolina State Bulldogs men's basketball in the other semifinal.
 
The championship game is scheduled to tip off at 1 p.m. Saturday and will be televised live on ESPN2. 

Delaware State Hornets men's basketball was led by Ponce James, who finished with 17 points and four assists, while Rahmir Moore added 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds. The Hornets, who finished the season 8-23, were seeking their first return to the MEAC championship game since 2024, when they fell to Howard. 

The contest was tightly contested early before North Carolina Central closed the first half with a 19-7 run, taking a 32-21 lead into halftime. 

Delaware State responded to start the second half, opening with a 17-6 run to cut the Eagles’ lead to 40-38 following a three-point play by Moore with 12:12 remaining. 

North Carolina Central answered by scoring seven of the next 11 points, extending its lead to 47-42 when Okworogwo split a pair of free throws with 7:29 left. 

The Hornets pulled within one point, 52-51, with 1:39 remaining, but managed only one more basket down the stretch as the Eagles scored six of the final eight points to secure the victory. 

With the win, North Carolina Central improved to 15-17 and advanced to the MEAC championship game for the first time since 2019, when the Eagles defeated Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball 57-50 to capture their third consecutive conference tournament title.