Game Statistics Postgame Video Interview
DURHAM, N.C. (www.NCCUEaglePride.com) – North Carolina Central University men’s basketball head coach
LeVelle Moton had some strong words for his team at intermission with the Eagles needing a late rally to tie the halftime score at 46-46 against NAIA visitor Milligan College.
“I can’t repeat on TV what I said in the locker room,” Moton said in a postgame interview.
Whatever the second-year head coach said, it worked. Powered by a dominant second-half performance by junior forward
Nick Chasten, NCCU held off the sharp-shooting Buffaloes for a 99-91 victory on Wednesday night inside McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium.
Chasten, who took the blunt of Moton’s halftime remarks after going scoreless with four rebounds in the opening 20 minutes, responded with 18 points and 14 boards in the second stanza for a career-best 18 caroms and his sixth career double-double.
NCCU junior transfer
Landon Clement also answered his coach’s challenge by netting 16 of his game and season-high 25 points after the break, shooting 10-for-17 from the field with three trifectas and a pair of free throws on the night. Eagles senior guard #C.J. Wilkerson# contributed 21 points, reaching double-figures in scoring for the 34th time in the past 40 games.
Milligan remained close with the Division I Eagles thanks to 51.5 percent shooting from the field, including 10 long-range baskets. The Buffaloes also boasted a pair of 20-point scorers, as sophomore guard Justin Sylvester recorded a team-best 24 points with seven rebounds and junior guard Hudson Fricke added 22 points with five 3-pointers.
The contest opened with three ties and five lead changes in the first seven minutes. Milligan stunned the home crowd by scoring the next 11 points to take a 31-19 lead after a 3-pointer by Fricke at the 9:07 mark.
The Buffaloes cushion was 44-33 with less than three minutes remaining in the first half before NCCU went on a 13-2 tear, capped by a 3-pointer by rookie guard
Emanuel Chapman with three seconds on the clock, to even the score at halftime, 46-46.
Milligan did not miss often in the first stanza, connecting on 16-of-29 (55.2%) from the field, including 6-of-11 from the land of plenty, and 8-of-9 from the charity stripe.
With six more lead changes and five more ties to start the second half, NCCU clung to a 1-point advantage (81-80) with 5:12 left in the contest. The Eagles steadily pulled away from upset-minded Milligan with a 12-4 spurt that ended with an old-fashioned three-point play by Clement at 1:17 to give the hosts a 93-84 lead, which proved too much for the visitors to overcome.
After shooting 45.7 percent from the floor in the first half, NCCU tickled the twine to the tune of 59.4 percent (19-of-32) in the closing 20 minutes.
NCCU improves to 4-0 at home for the first time in six seasons. The Eagles are now 5-6 overall, while Milligan falls to 3-9.
NCCU returns to action on Monday, Jan. 3, when the Eagles host their first opponent from an FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) school, East Carolina. The highly-anticipated tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
