Nov. 27, 2007

Final Stats

TOWSON, MD - North Carolina Central University was within four points of Towson University midway through the second half, but the host Tigers scored 18 unanswered points to cruise to a 74-52 victory over the Eagles inside the Towson Center on Tuesday night.

NCCU actually gained some momentum with an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to 45-41 on a three-point basket by junior guard Bryan Ayala at the 11:59 mark of the second stanza. During the next five minutes, however, the Eagles committed five turnovers, missed four shots and allowed Towson to score 18 consecutive points to put the game out of reach at 63-41 with 6:43 left to play.

The five-minute letdown ruined the chances for the Eagles to give the gift of an upset victory to NCCU head coach Henry Dickerson, who celebrated his 56th birthday on Tuesday. It also overshadowed a career-high scoring effort by senior forward Charles Futrell, who finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, two steals, an assist and a blocked shot in 40 minutes of action. Ayala contributed 13 points, seven boards and six assists for the Eagles, who dropped their record to 1-7 in the program's first season of Division I play.

Towson (3-2) was paced by Rodney Spruill with a career-high 21 points, followed by Junior Hairston's double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds.

NCCU out-rebounded its opponent for the first time this season, beating the Tigers on the glass 41-40. The biggest factor, however, was turnovers. The Eagles committed 21 miscues, compared to only 10 for Towson.