Nov. 14, 2009
Final Stats
CORAL GABLES, Fla (NCCUEaglePride.com)- The Eagles of North Carolina Central University took on its second straight Atlantic Coast Conference opponent this time down in south Florida falling to the University of Miami Hurricanes in its initial contest of the 2009-10 season, 83-53 on Saturday afternoon at the BankUnited Center.
For the second ballgame in a row, NCCU (0-2) found themselves hanging with its opponent early on. After a T.J. Granger (Richmond, Va.) layup with 16:17 to go in the first half, the Eagles grabbed its largest lead in the ballgame, giving Miami all it could handle.
The Hurricanes and the Eagles went back-and-forth with five lead changes over an 11-minute-span until a Dwayne Sims (Dayton, Ohio) bucket drew NCCU within two at 25-23 with 5:10 left in the first frame. From that point on, Miami outscored NCCU 14-2 to take a 39-25 lead into the halftime break.
The second half saw Miami (1-0) widen its margin to 20 before the first media timeout and never looked back. The Canes largest lead grew to as high as 33, but NCCU continued to fight and scratch throughout the final stanza dropping the contest 83-53. NCCU's record falls to 0-2 on the young season.
Junior guard Vincent Davis (Nashville, Tenn.) led the Eagles with 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting including 2-of-8 from the perimeter, while junior college transfer C.J. Wilkerson (Oxford, N.C.) added 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
With the loss, NCCU falls to 0-2 all-time against Miami, losing to the Canes 76-42 back on Jan. 3, 2009.
By virtue of going 3-for-11 from the outside, the Eagles did extend its streak of hitting at least one three pointer in a ballgame to 104, a streak that dates back to Jan. 17, 2006, a 64-61 win over Livingstone.
NCCU returns to the "Eagles Nest" for its home opener against the Battling Bishops of North Carolina Wesleyan College on Wednesday night, Nov. 18 at McDougald-McLendon Gym in game two of the mid-week doubleheader.
To stay up-to-date with NCCU Athletics, log on to NCCUEaglePride.com, the official website of the NCCU Athletics Department.
