The North Carolina Central University men’s basketball team took care of business on the road, defeating Coastal Carolina University 70-58.
Sunday’s victory over the Chanticleers was the first in program history in seven attempts for the Eagles.
NCCU was in control to start, with Coastal Carolina only leading one minute into the game. The score quickly changed as the Eagles regained the lead for over 18 minutes of the first half.
Double-figure scoring from sophomore Po’Boigh King and senior Fred Cleveland Jr. helped spark a 10-0 run to build up NCCU’s lead. King led with 13 points in the first half on 6-of-8 shooting, and Cleveland scored 10 points in the first 20 minutes, missing only one shot.
NC Central led 38-21 at halftime. Cleveland and sophomore Perry Smith Jr. each had four rebounds out of the 20 boards snatched by the Eagles. Josh Smith also added six points in five minutes of play in the half.
Coastal Carolina opened the second half on a 12-4 run to get within single digits. After the 12-minute media timeout, Jimmy Nichols Jr. of Coastal Carolina made a free throw to close the NCCU gap 46-40. A pair of free throws from Josh Smith and an and-one bucket from Ja’Darius Harris put the Eagles lead back to double-digits at 53-42.
The closest the Chanticleers would get to the Eagles in the second half was ten points. Jon Sanders finished with 14 points as the leading scorer for Coastal Carolina.
North Carolina Central gained most of its points inside the arc and in the paint. The team benefited from 14 second-chance points and 13 points on the fast-break.
The Eagles forced 16 turnovers, led by 10 steals on the day. Both Harris and King finished the afternoon with 21 points. King also grabbed nine rebounds and Harris grabbed seven. Cleveland scored 18 points on Sunday and dished out four assists. The trio contributed 60 of 70 points for North Carolina Central.
Courtesy: North Carolina Central Athletics
