Dec. 29, 2007
Final Stats
DURHAM, N.C. - North Carolina Central University mounted a late charge against Houston Baptist University, but it was not enough as the visiting Huskies defeated NCCU 63-56 during opening night action of the third annual BC Powder Classic inside McLendon-McDougald Gym in Durham, N.C.
NCCU trailed by double-figures most of the second half, including a 57-46 deficit with four minutes left in the contest.
Sparked by a pair of three-pointers by junior guard Philip Branch, NCCU posted a 10-2 run to pull to within three points at 59-56 with 51 seconds remaining.
Houston Baptist answered the challenge by scoring the game's final four points to claim the road victory.
HBU (3-13) was led by 6-8 junior forward Emanuel Willis with game-highs of 19 points and 14 rebounds. Junior forward Gordon Watt contributed 13 points and senior forward Kevin Amend added 11 points for the Huskies.
NCCU (1-16) was topped by senior forward Charles Futrell with 12 points. Junior guard Bryan Ayala amassed 11 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals in a solid all-around performance, while Branch finished with 11 points off the bench. Sophomore forward Joshua Worthy helped the Eagles with eight points, a team-high nine boards, four steals and three assists.
The BC Powder Classic continues on Sunday (Dec. 30) with Elizabeth City State against Houston Baptist at 5 p.m., followed by Concord versus NCCU at 7 p.m.
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THE HERALD-SUN NEWSPAPER (www.HeraldSun.com)
Eagles' comeback falls short
By MIKE POTTER : mpotter@heraldsun.com
Dec 30, 2007
Durham -- N.C. Central was in need of a holiday miracle to pull out a victory on Saturday night.
It almost happened, but over the final 45 seconds, the Eagles came up short. NCCU trailed Houston Baptist by 15 points with less than seven minutes to play, then came up with a noisy run to cut the margin to three before the Huskies escaped with a 63-56 win in the opening round of the BC Powder Classic at McLendon-McDougald Gym.
In the opener, Anthony Hilliard led the way with 21 points and 10 rebounds as Elizabeth City State held off Concord 84-79.
The seven-point margin of defeat was the closest loss of the season for the Eagles (1-16), who had a four-game home winning streak snapped with the loss. "Once again, the effort was there but the execution wasn't," NCCU coach Henry Dickerson said. "They had a strong post player [6-8, 235-pound Emanuel Willis], but that's a game we could have won."
Willis led Houston Baptist (3-13), which was playing its 15th of 18 straight road games, with 19 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Gorden Wyatt added 13 points and Kevin Amend 11 for HBU.
"Any road win we can get is a really good win," Huskies coach Ron Cottrell said. "We did a great job defensively on [Bryan] Ayala tonight, and a pretty good job on [Charles] Futrell.
"I was really proud of the way we played defense. I challenged our guys in the last minute to show we wanted it more than they did."
HBU shot 46.8 percent to the Eagles' 38.3 and won the rebound battle 39-32. The visitors committed 23 turnovers to 20 for the Eagles.
Charles Futrell led NCCU with 12 points in his fifth 40-minute effort of the season, while Ayala added 11 points. Philip Branch chipped in 11 points including a trio of 3-pointers in just seven minutes, while Joshua Worthy had eight points and nine rebounds.
"I let my team down by missing my two free throws [with 3:47 left]," said Ayala, who was 5-of-17 from the floor but had five assists, five steals and five rebounds. "I have to have a good shooting night for us to beat a good team, but the guys gave a great effort. Maybe we'll be a little bit better tomorrow."
Futrell had 11 points at the break.
"We've been down in a lot of games, and I think when we had a chance to win from behind some guys didn't know how to do it," Futrell said. "But we got some more balanced scoring tonight, and that's what we're going to need to get some more wins."
The score was tied three times in the early going, the last at 8-8 on a Worthy layup at the 14:54 mark. Andrew Puzyk's 3-pointer 10 seconds later gave the visitors a lead they would retain for the rest of the game.
The Huskies' biggest lead was 56-41 on a Puzyk layup with 6:31 left, but Branch -- playing for the first time in 21 days because of a foot injury -- almost sparked the Eagles to a victory. NCCU went on a 15-3 run, closing the gap to 59-56 on Branch's final 3-pointer with :51 showing.
But Wyatt drove the lane for a slam with 36 seconds to go, and after a missed Branch 3-pointer Baron Sauls added the clincher for the visitors with 18 ticks remaining.
"I got plenty of rest, and I'm OK now," Branch said. "My shot was falling for a few minutes. I figure if you're going to be out there for 40 minutes or for two, you've got to go for a win."
NOTES -- Saturday's contest was the first of the season for senior guard Brandon Alston, the school's all-time leading punt returner who has joined the basketball squad for the second straight year. Alston played 14 minutes and had two points, two rebounds and two steals. ... Both NCCU and Houston Baptist are transitioning into NCAA Division I, with the Eagles moving up from Division II and the Huskies reclaiming NCAA membership after a long stint in the NAIA. ... Three games are on the slate today, with a women's game between NCCU and Mercy College at 2 p.m., followed by ECSU against Houston Baptist at 5 p.m. and NCCU's men against Concord at 7 p.m. Concord, a member of the Division II West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, will be the Eagles' first opponent outside Division I this season. ... The Eagles visits Western Michigan on Wednesday to start a four-game road trip. NCCU goes to East Carolina on Saturday, then visits former CIAA rival Norfolk State on Jan. 7 and N.C. State on Jan. 9. The Eagles return home Jan. 16 against Coppin State.
