Crosby, Carter Lead Hornets to Opening-Round Win
NORFOLK, Va., – John Crosby scored a game-high 24 points and Myles Carter came off the bench to add 21 to lead eighth-seeded Delaware State to a 68-64 victory over No. 9 seed Maryland Eastern Shore in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Basketball Tournament opening-round game at the Scope Arena
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The Hornets (6-25) won for the third time in the last four games, including two over the Hawks, to earn a quarterfinal meeting with No. 1 seed and three-time defending champion North Carolina Central on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Maryland Eastern Shore lost its sixth straight to closed out the season with a 5-27 overall record.
Crosby, the MEAC’s leading scorer at 19.4 points per game entering the contest, was 8-for-15 from the field and perfect on eight free-throw attempts in the game. His two free throws with 48 seconds left put Delaware State ahead for good and he hit two more with nine seconds on the clock to give the Hornets a 67-64 lead.
After a missed shot by the Hawks with five seconds remaining, Ameer Bennett hit one of two at the line to seal the win for the Hornets.
Carter was 7-for-12 from the field, including 3-for-3 on 3-point shots in the contest. He has hit 12 of his last 13 3-point shots (92.3%) and topped the 20-point mark in two of the last three games as a reserve.
Williams Leads Howard to First-Round Upset Over S.C. State
NORFOLK, Va., — With 24 points, Charles “C.J.” Williams led Howard, the No. 10 seed, to a first-round upset over South Carolina State, 70-63, in the first round of the 2020 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Basketball Tournament Tuesday evening in Scope Arena.
Sixteen of Williams’ 24 points came in the second half.
The Bison (4-28) advanced to Wednesday’s quarterfinal, where they will face No. 2 seed North Carolina A&T State at 8 p.m.
Howard led throughout after Williams hit the first basket of the game – a three at the 18:41 mark in the first half. In fact, the Bison scored the first 10 points of the game, before Damani Applewhite got the Bulldogs on the board at the 15:20 mark.
But Howard maintained control, heading into the locker room with a 29-22 lead. The Bison held the Bulldogs to 25% shooting (8-for-32) in the first 20 minutes, while Howard shot 48.0 percent (12-for-25) in the opening half.
South Carolina State was better from the floor in the second half, scoring 41 points and shooting 42.9% from the floor, but the Bulldogs struggled from distance all night – to the tune of 2-for-12 from behind the arc.
The Bulldogs cut the lead to one, 39-38, with 13:32 left to play after an Ian Kinard layup, but the Bison answered with a 17-3 run to put the game out of reach.
Courtesy: MEAC
