Jan. 9, 2010

Final Stats

DALLAS, TEXAS (NCCUEaglePride.com)- The North Carolina Central University Eagles hit just seven first-half field goals and allowed the Mustangs of SMU to start the second half 11-of-12 from the floor en route to a 78-50 victory over the Eagles from Moody Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.

The first half saw NCCU play its patented solid defense that held the host Mustangs in check for most of the first 20 minutes. The Eagles trailed by just four points with 10:33 to go in the first stanza following Lonestar state product Joshua Worthy's (Lewisville, TX) putback dunk to make the score at 14-10. With 3:12 to go, Nick Chasten's (Raleigh, N.C.) bucket kept NCCU within 10, but the Mustangs revved up for a 7-0 run to end the half, taking a 36-19 lead into the locker room.

In the second half, NCCU once again was determined to make its patented run, but SMU squelched any thought of an Eagles comeback by starting the frame shooting 11-of-12 from the field, keying a 15-2 run as SMU ran away with the 78-50 victory.

Even though NCCU did extend its three point streak to 117 games, as a team the Eagles shot just 4-of-16 from the perimeter in their seventh straight loss of the season.

Leading the way for NCCU once again, the tandem of Chasten and junior C.J. Wilkerson (Oxford, N.C.). Chasten led the Eagles with 16 points and seven boards, while Wilkerson added 13 points on 3-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-7 from the free throw line. Local product Worthy had a season-high seven rebounds in his return home for the Eagles.

NCCU (2-14) has yet another quick turnaround as the Eagles get set for a Monday night showdown against High Point University. The Panthers held on to beat NCCU back on Dec. 29 by a score of 70-58 from the Millis Center. Tipoff from the friendly-confines of McDougald-McLendon Gym is set for 7:00 p.m.