Feb. 6, 2010
Final Stats
DURHAM, N.C. (www.NCCUEaglePride.com) - In a game that had 14 ties and 17 lead changes, North Carolina Central University used a true team effort against Savannah State University, as nine Eagles scored during a 65-60 victory over the visiting Tigers on Saturday afternoon inside McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium.
The win for the Eagles snaps a five-game losing skid and is the first against a Division I opponent this season.
NCCU's leading scorer, C.J. Wilkerson, picked up a pair of fouls less than two minutes into the contest and spent most of the first half on the bench.
With Wilkerson on the sideline, junior shooting guards Dwayne Sims and Vincent Davis stepped up to combine for 18 of the team's 30 first-half points.
Following eight ties and 10 lead changes in the first 20 minutes, NCCU scored the last six points of the first half to even the game at 30-30 heading to intermission.
Wilkerson stormed out of the locker room to net 11 of his team's opening 13 points of the second half, but picked up his fourth foul at the 11:52 mark with Savannah State holding a 48-47 edge.
Four minutes later, Sims snapped a 51-51 tie by nailing a three-pointer and mid-range jumper in back-to-back possessions to give the Eagles a 56-51 lead, the largest by either squad in the second stanza.
Savannah State senior guard Patrick Hardy hit a three-pointer just prior to the shot clock buzzer to tie the dual 58-58 with 3:59 remaining.
On the ensuing NCCU possession, Hardy intercepted a pass by Wilkerson and drove down the floor to the basket as Wilkerson picked up his fifth personal foul preventing the easy layup. The foul sent Wilkerson to the bench for good with 3:20 on the clock. Hardy made one of two free throws to provide the Tigers with a 59-58 advantage.
After each team missed chances to score, Davis drained a clutch three-point basket to put NCCU on top 61-59 at 2:10.
After a scoreless minute of play, NCCU junior point guard Michael Glasker suffered an injury that sent him to the bench for the first time on the afternoon.
With the Eagles clinging to a two-point lead and just over a minute remaining in the contest, junior P.J. Taylor checked in for his first action.
Just seconds later, Taylor stripped the ball from SSU guard Preston Blackmon, drove to the basket and made a contested layup to put the Eagles ahead 63-59 with 56 ticks left on the clock.
Taylor later made both free throws of a one-and-one situation to seal the victory.
"The kids came out and responded in a close game," said NCCU head coach LeVelle Moton. "We have had a couple of close games before that we could not get over the hump and close out. I told them in practice that this was going to be another close game. Hats off to the kids... they played extremely hard and stepped up to the challenge."
Sims finished with a career-high 15 points to top NCCU, shooting 5-for-8 from the field with four triples, while adding three rebounds and three steals. Wilkerson managed 13 points and Davis added 11 points off the bench.
NCCU sophomore forward Nick Chasten contributed eight points, seven boards, three assists, two blocked shots and two steals. Glasker distributed six assists and grabbed four rebounds. All nine Eagles that stepped on the floor scored at least two points.
Four Tigers netted double figures for the Tigers, led by Rashad Hassan with 14 points. Louis Arnold collected 11 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
"This was a gut game," Moton said. "You can throw the statistics out of the window, because it was going to come down to who wanted it the most at the end. We wore our hearts on our sleeve tonight and embraced the challenge. I am extremely proud of these young men."
NCCU improves to 5-20, while Savannah State falls to 9-14.
The Eagles return to McDougald-McLendon Gym on Wednesday to host Maryland Eastern Shore at 7 p.m.
