Jan. 31, 2009

Final Stats

(Written by Sean Baldwin, NCCU Sports Information Student Assistant)

DURHAM, N.C. - North Carolina Central University fell on Saturday night to the Savannah State University Tigers 67-51 inside of McLendon-McDougald Gymnasium.

The Tigers shot 56.5 percent from the field and limited NCCU to only have one player score in double figures, which was freshman guard Jamar Briscoe with 28 points. The Tigers bench overpowered the Eagles bench, 24-1. SSU also dominated the glass, out-rebounding NCCU, 38-18.

NCCU (2-22) started the first half on a slow start committing turnovers, while Savannah State (11-11) capitalized on the miscues with easy transition baskets and good looks from the perimeter.

The Tigers led the Eagles by 10 points with 9:39 left in the first half on a lay-up by Raye Bailey. As the game progressed, NCCU began a run and eventually tied the game at 26-26 at the 2:57 mark with a three-point field goal from Vincent Davis.

SSU ended the first half with a 29-28 lead. Briscoe led the Eagles with 14 points, while forward Jovonni Shuler led the Tigers with seven points in the first half. Savannah State shot 54.5 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, while NCCU was not that far away with its shooting percentage at 46.2 percent.

On a sad note, Eagles center Stevy Worah-Ozimo broke his arm during a fall in the middle of the first half, possibly sidelining him out of action for the rest of the season.

The second half started with both teams trading baskets, but as time went on SSU's full court pressure started to slow the Eagles down. Both teams were almost even in the turnover department, but the Tigers capitalized on their offensive opportunities better than the Eagles, with solid shooting and second chance opportunities.

During an eight-minute stretch, SSU posted a 20-5 run to open up a 54-35 cushion with just under nine minutes remaining. As the game was going in favor to the Tigers, Briscoe made a three-pointer with 7:56 remaining in the second half to stop a scoring slump for the Eagles. NCCU started to disrupt the Tigers on the defensive end with solid defensive pressure, causing turnovers and easy baskets for the Eagles.

With 5:25 left in the second half, the Eagles cut the deficit to 10 points (57-47) with a four-point play from Briscoe. SSU responded by scoring the next six points to seal the victory.

The Tigers leading scorer was Chris Linton with 13 points, while adding eight rebounds and team-highs of five assists and two blocked shots. Shuler finished with 12 points, while Louis Arnold contributed 11 points and a team-high nine boards.

When asked about the game, NCCU head coach Henry Dickerson said, "We are kind of snake bitten. We had missed lay-ups and did a bad job on the fundamentals. We just need to continue to work hard and not throw up the white flag."

When asked about Worah-Ozimo's injury, he said, "Injuries just seem to be a part of us this season."

The Eagles, now at 2-22, will travel to Raleigh, N.C. to play against the North Carolina State Wolfpack on Tuesday at 7 p.m. inside the RBC Center.