NCCU Holds Off Coppin State for 30th Straight Win at Home
DURHAM, N.C. – In a matchup that had 13 lead changes and 12 ties, North Carolina Central University needed a basket in the closing seconds and one last defensive stand to hold off Coppin State University for a 79-77 victory on Saturday, as the host Eagles escaped McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium with their 30th straight win at home.
Jordan Parks wrapped up a productive afternoon with game-highs of 25 points and 11 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season. Jawara also recorded a double-double, the first of his career, with 15 points and 10 boards. Dante Holmes contributed 19 points for NCCU, including 13 points in the first half to keep the host Eagles close, trailing 41-38 at intermission.
Up next, NCCU hosts Delaware State on Monday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m., televised live on ESPNU.
Wildcats downed by Hawks
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Ricky Johnson scored 24 points, but Bethune-Cookman dropped a 74-70 decision to UMES Saturday night in Moore Gym.
Mike Myers scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Hawks (11-10 overall, 4-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) defeated the Wildcats for the first time since 2010.
Johnson was 5 of 9 from beyond the arc in his second straight 20-point game. Brandon Stewart added 19 points and DeLino Dear pulled in 12 boards for his third consecutive double-figure rebounding game. Dear and Mikel Trappeach finished with eight points.
The Wildcats saw their last lead at 19-17 on a Dear jumper with 10:10 remaining in the first half. The Hawks pulled away from a 21-21 tie to take a 41-31 halftime.
Bethune-Cookman hosts Howard Monday night at 7:30 p.m.
Razor-Sharp Spartans Defeat S.C. State, 76-63
ORANGEBURG, S.C. – Norfolk State shot an absurd 14-of-18 in the second half on the way to a 76-63 win over South Carolina State in men’s basketball action on Saturday evening at the S-H-M Memorial Center.
The Spartans connected on 29-of-44 overall for the game, a 65.9 percent clip that surpassed the previous Division I school record. NSU’s top four scorers led the way, totaling 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting. He scored 11 points in the second half, when the Spartans outscored the Bulldogs by 10 after holding just a three-point lead at the break.
Senior Malik Thomas broke out of a slump by hitting 5-of-6 overall, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, for 16 points. It marked his highest scoring output since tallying a career-high 21 against St. Francis Brooklyn on Nov. 28.
The Spartans also hit 7-of-13 from 3-point range but had to work around a season-high 22 turnovers. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, committed just eight.
Rattlers Fall Short 59-50 Against Howard
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida A&M Rattlers (0-19, 0-6 MEAC) fell short to the Howard Bison (9-10, 3-2 MEAC), 59-50, in a hard-fought battle today at the Al Lawson Center.
Jorge Rosa, led the Rattlers with 13 points, while Quentin Bastian chipped in a dozen, as the only Rattlers to score in double figures. Mario Karailiev, Jermaine Ruttley and Bastian pulled down five rebounds each, to lead FAMU. Freshman guard Craig Bowman dished out six assists on the night.
The Rattlers return to the Al Lawson Center on Monday to face the Hawks of UMES in an 8 p.m. start.
Dominating Second Half Propels Hornets Past Aggies For Fourth Straight Win
Greensboro, N.C. — Delaware State broke open a close game with a solid second half effort in a 67-52 win over North Carolina A&T in a MEAC contest at the Corbett Sports Center this evening. The Hornets won their season-best fourth straight game to improve to 10-9 overall and 4-1 in the MEAC.
DSU’s string of wins is its longest since posting an eight-game streak during the 2011-12 season. The margin of victory is also the Hornets’ biggest against a Division I opponent this season.
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