Neither of the top two seeds survived the semifinal Friday as 4th-seeded Howard defeated top-seeded Norfolk State 80-74 while No. 6 seed Delaware State pulled off its second upset in two nights, stunning No. 2 North Carolina Central 71-58.
Howard (16-16) took over late in the second half thanks to sharpshooting from guards Marcus Dockery and Isiah Warfield. The two Bison combined to shoot eight of nine from three-point range, including a three from Warfield that opened up a 74-64 Howard lead with one minute to go.
The Bison had five players in double figures, led by Dockery’s 19. Bryce Harris scored 16 points, Warfield had 15, and Seth Towns and Jordan Hairston added 13 and 10 points, respectively. Norfolk State, who fell to 22-11, were led by Allen Betrand’s 16 points.
This DUB deserves a round of applause 👏#MEACPride #MEACHoops #MEACMBB pic.twitter.com/yRo5WE7uq7
— Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (@MEACSports) March 16, 2024
Howard will look to repeat as MEAC champions for the first time in their Division I history when they take on Delaware State, who led most of the game in defeating North Carolina Central for the first time this season.
North Carolina Central (18-13) closed to within three points (50-47), but the Hornets, led by MEAC rookie of the year Deywilk Tavarez and sophomore guard Jevin Muniz, went on a 12-0 run to open up a 62-47 advantage with 3:57 to go and held serve the rest of the way.
Tavarez led all scorers with 20 points, Muniz scored 16, while Martaz Robinson and Alston Andrews added 12 and 10 points. Senior forward Wesley Oba hauled in a game-high 14 rebounds for Delaware State. Keishon Porter’s 18 points led North Carolina Central.
