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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (NCCUEaglePride.com)- For the first time in his short career at North Carolina Central University, sophomore David Best (Raleigh, N.C.), scored in double figures with 12 points and nearly collected his first double-double with nine rebounds, but it was not enough as NCCU dug a 20-point first half hole to Air Force and despite a valiant second half effort fell short 73-56 at Clune Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Saturday evening.
Just like the Dec. 2, 2009 meeting between these two, the Eagles struggled offensively in the first half and found itself down 40-20 going into the locker room. Best’s second bucket of the contest put NCCU up 11-9 with 15:36 to go as the Eagles began the game 4-for-9 (44.4%) from the field. From that point forward NCCU went 2-for-18 finishing the first half shooting 6-for-27 with a season-low 22.2 percent shooting percentage. On the other hand, the Falcons stayed efficient on the offensive side outscoring the Eagles 31-9 during that span. Air Force also outrebounded NCCU 23 to 12 through the first 20 minutes.
A 15-7 run by the resilient maroon and gray saw the deficit dropped to 12 with 13:28 to go. With 8:40 to go senior Dwayne Sims (Dayton, Ohio) hit a three-pointer from the right wing that cut the deficit down to 10 at 55-45, keeping hope alive for NCCU.
Continuing to battle, a C.J. Wilkerson three-point play cut the margin below double-figures at 59-50 with 5:42 remaining. Wilkerson scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half as the Eagles tried to scratch its way back into contention.
Junior Landon Clement’s (Raleigh, N.C.) three-point attempt with 4:27 to go nearly cut the margin to six points but it rimmed out and represented the last comeback attempt by the Eagles as Air Force outdueled NCCU 12 to 4 down the stretch to win the game 73-56.
Wilkerson’s 18 points led all scorers, but Best recorded career-highs in points (12), rebounds (9), and blocks (5) despite the loss. Clement ended a frustrating night with 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting from the perimeter. As a team, NCCU shot a season-low 34.5 percent from the field (20-of-58).
Air Force was sparked by Shawn Hempsey’s first nine points of the season in the first half, as the Falcons boasted four players in double figures led by Evan Washington’s 15 points in the victory. Taylor Broekhuis finished with 14 points, while both Taylor Stewart and Tom Fow had 10 points apiece for the Falcons.
NCCU (4-4) stays on the road as the Eagles ventures to Ann Arbor, Mich. to take on their second and final Big Ten opponent of the season in the University of Michigan Wolverines. That contest is slated to be televised on the Big Ten Network and will tip off from Crisler Arena at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 14.
To stay up-to-date with NCCU Athletics, log on to NCCUEaglePride.com, the official website of the NCCU Athletics Department.
