Jan. 3, 2010
Final Stats
GREENVILLE, N.C. (NCCUEaglePride.com)- The North Carolina Central University Eagles looked to begin 2010 by getting rid of a pesky four-game losing streak, and nearly did just that against East Carolina University, as the Pirates survived a late surge by NCCU taking the contest 68 to 58 on Sunday afternoon at Williams Arena-Minges Colisuem.
In the third meeting between these two programs, the first half was yet another nip-and-tuck affair through the first five minutes as the game was tied at 7. Over the next six minutes, NCCU fell in a first half funk that found them down 22-9 thanks to a 15-2 Pirate run with 9:11 to go.
That certainly didn't deter the pesky Eagles who battled back thanks to eight first half points by junior transfer T.J. Granger (Richmond, Va.) as he keyed a 20-13 run by NCCU cutting the halftime deficit to six at 33 to 27.
The second half was as dramatic as the first with NCCU and ECU going back-and-forth. Every time East Carolina scored to widen the margin, NCCU had an answer, and when the Eagles cut the ECU advantage to one possession, the Pirates hit a big shot.
NCCU trailed by as little as two points following a Nick Chasten (Raleigh, N.C.) jumper with just under five minutes to play, but East Carolina went on a 12-4 run that was the difference in the contest. During that run, ECU hit its only two three pointers on the afternoon, but it just enough to break the backs of an Eagle upset, winning the ballgame and extending NCCU's losing streak to five.
C.J. Wilkerson (Oxford, N.C.) continued his solid and steady play, leading the Eagles for the sixth time this season with 18 points hitting 3-of-6 from the outside. Down in the post, Granger finished with his second-highest output as an Eagle scoring 16 points along with grabbing seven boards. Going up against one of the top point guards in Conference USA in East Carolina's, Brock Young, junior Michael Glasker (Newport News, Va.) more than held his own scoring 10 points, dishing out nine assists and grabbing five rebounds.
NCCU (2-12) has a quick turnaround as they head up north to battle Colgate University on Wednesday night at 7:00 from Cotterel Court in Hamilton, N.Y.
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