March 14, 2009

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - North Carolina Central University closed out its second season of Division I competition with a 63-56 victory over rival Winston-Salem State University in the 2009 MEAC Tournament "Bonus Game" inside the LJVM Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C. on Saturday evening.

NCCU senior guard Bryan Ayala scored 18 of his game-high 19 points after intermission, leading the Eagles back from a seven-point second half deficit. Ayala's free throw with 42.6 seconds left gave the Norfolk, Va. native his 1,000th career point. He finished his college tenure with 1,004 points, a school record 196 steals and 366 assists, which ranks second in school history.

NCCU rookie forward Nick Chasten posted his first collegiate double-double with 13 points and a season-best 10 rebounds, while sophomore guard Vincent Davis added 10 points and seven caroms.

Ayala, Chasten and Davis each had three steals as the Eagles amassed a season-best 16 steals as a team, forcing 24 WSSU turnovers.

WSSU (8-22) was topped by post players Jamal Durham and Paul Davis with 14 points apiece, while Brian Fisher contributed 10 points for the Rams.

The Rams closed the first half with a 12-4 run to take a 31-26 advantage into the locker room at the break.

WSSU scored the first basket of the second stanza to improve its margin to 33-26, but the Eagles posted seven unanswered points to even the game at 33-33 on an Ayala lay-up at 16:16.

The teams exchanged the lead four times and shared two ties the rest of the game, but a three-pointer by rookie guard Jamar Briscoe after a steal put the Eagles up 53-50 with 5:17 left. It was a lead NCCU did not relinquish.

The determined Eagles made 8-of-10 free throws in the final 1:17 to seal the victory.

"In all my years of coaching I have never been more proud of a team than I am of this group," said NCCU head coach Henry Dickerson. "They have been through so much adversity this season, but they gave me everything they had and it all came together tonight. They battled in the face of adversity and they deserve the victory."

For the second year in a row, NCCU (4-27) enters the off-season with the sweet taste of victory over rival WSSU.