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DURHAM, N.C. (www.NCCUEaglePride.com) – Florida A&M University missed a last-second, putback layup that would have forced overtime as North Carolina Central University withstood a second-half rally by the visiting Rattlers and held on for a 61-59 victory inside McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium on Saturday.

NCCU (10-9) led by as much as 15 points early in the second half, but the Rattlers steadily chipped away at the deficit and narrowed the gap to just two points at 57-55 with 3:09 left to play.

NCCU junior guard Landon Clement pushed the margin to four points (58-55) with a 15-foot jumper at the 1:39 mark, but FAMU junior forward made 1-of-2 free throws to make it a one possession contest at 59-56 with 1:12 remaining.

With 43 seconds on the clock, NCCU senior guard #C.J. Wilkerson# nailed a pair of free throws to increase the Eagles’ lead to a comfortable five points at 61-56.

Just nine seconds later, however, FAMU rookie guard Avery Moore nailed a three-point bomb to make the home crowd a little less at ease.

Trailing by only two points, the Rattlers fouled Wilkerson with 26 seconds left, sending the 76 percent free-throw shooter to the line with a chance to seal the victory. But Wilkerson missed the front-end of the one-and-one and FAMU grabbed the rebound.

After a timeout with 10 seconds left, Moore had on open look at a potential game-winning three-pointer with five ticks on the clock, but it missed the mark. FAMU collected the offensive rebound and the ball found its way into the hands of sophomore forward Amin Stevens, whose layup at the buzzer was too strong off the glass and the Eagles celebrated their 10th victory of the season, including three in-a-row.

Wilkerson finished with a game-high 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the floor, including a three-pointer, and converting 5-of-8 from the free-throw line. Junior forward Nick Chasten added 16 points and a team-best six rebounds for the Eagles, while Clement tallied 15 points and sophomore forward Dijon Manns contributed six points and five boards.

FAMU (7-13) was paced by Stevens with 16 points and eight rebounds as the lone Rattler starter to net double-figures. Freshman guard Reggie Lewis recorded 11 points off the bench, while senior Christopher Walker posted nine points and four boards, all in the second half.

The Eagles made half of their 32 shot attempts in the first stanza to take a 41-26 advantage into the locker room. The second half was a different story, as NCCU hit just 6-of-20 from the field (30 percent), including only 1-of-9 from long distance, to allow FAMU to make it a nail-biter late in the contest.

NCCU returns home to McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium on Monday to host the Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. An Eagles’ victory would extend the team’s win streak to four games, the longest since Dec. 2004.