Game Statistics         

DURHAM, N.C. (www.NCCUEaglePride.com) – North Carolina Central University junior guard Landon Clement recorded a game-high 24 points to top three Eagles scoring in double figures as NCCU held of Maryland Eastern Shore for a 67-61 win on Monday inside McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium.

Clement, who tallied 14 points before intermission, connected on 9-of-16 from the field, including 4-of-9 from long distance, with a pair of free throws on the afternoon. NCCU senior guard #C.J. Wilkerson# added 17 points and a team-best four steals, while junior forward Nick Chasten contributed 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Junior point guard Justin Leemow distributed five assists to go along with seven points and three steals.

UMES (3-12) was paced by junior forward Hillary Haley with 15 points, while rookie guard Joseph Swift came off the Hawks bench for 13 points, four assists and four steals. Junior guard Dishawn Bradshaw posted 10 points as the third double-digit scorer for UMES.

NCCU (6-8) scored the first six points of the ball game and enjoyed a 12-3 cushion after a layup by Wilkerson at 15:39.

UMES responded by netting 10 straight points, including back-to-back three-pointers by Bradshaw, to take a 13-12 lead with 12:29 left in the first half.

A jumper by Clement at 12:13 ended the three-minute drought and put the Eagles back on top, which proved to be a lead NCCU would not relinquish.

Later in the first stanza, Clement drained a jumper followed by a trifecta to provide the Eagles with their largest lead of the night at 29-18 with 6:07 left before intermission.

UMES went on an 11-5 run to trim the deficit to just three points (34-31 at 2:36), but a jumper by NCCU junior Jonathan Nicely with 12 seconds on the clock lifted the Eagles’ halftime advantage to 36-31.

In the middle of the second half, the visiting Hawks scored seven unanswered points to narrow the gap to just one point at 50-49 with 10:47 remaining, by Wilkerson converted an old-fashion three-point play and Clement hit his fourth three-pointer of the contest to give the Eagles enough cushion for the victory.

As a team, NCCU made 23-of-53 from the field (43.4 percent), including 6-of-19 (31.6 percent) from behind the arc, and 15-of-18 (83.3 percent) from the charity stripe.

UMES shot 20-of-49 (40.8 percent) from the floor, including 5-of-18 (27.8 percent) from long range, and 16-of-25 (64.0 percent) from the free-throw line.

The Eagles out-rebounded UMES 37-28 and utilized 13 offensive boards to net 12 second chance points, doubling that of their opponent.

After four consecutive home games, NCCU hits to road to face Coppin State University in Baltimore, Md., on Saturday, Jan. 15 at 4 p.m.