Box Score


EUGENE, Ore. (NCCUEaglePride.com) – Junior Ebuka Anyaorah’s (Suwanee, Ga.) 16-first half points and sophomore Jeremy Ingram’s (Charlotte, N.C.) 11 points during a crucial stretch of the second half along with another solid defensive effort was just what the Eagles of North Carolina Central University needed to outlast the Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin and earn a 65-57 victory in day two of the 2011 Global Sports Hoops Showcase on Wednesday evening at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore.
 
Both teams came out of the gates struggling from the field going a combined 2-for-9 from the field with 15:38 left in the first half as the score was knotted at four.
 
NCCU went on an offensive drought that began at the 18:03 mark of the frame and the Eagles found themselves trailing 10-4 to the Lumberjacks as the half rolled on.  The dry spell came to an end on a layup by Anyaorah with 8:05 to go in the first half ending nearly 10 minutes of anemic offense for the Eagles.
 
To top this all off, head coach LeVelle Moton rolled the dice and sent both Sutton and Willis back in the ballgame with two personal fouls apeice.  The risk worked in NCCU’s favor.
 
After trailing by six, the maroon and gray went on an 8-0 run to grab the lead back that stretched the margin out to eight following junior Ray Willis’s (Atlanta, Ga.) momentum changing three-pointer as the first half clock ran down as NCCU took a 28-20 lead into the locker room.
 
The star of the first 20 minutes was Anyaorah who carried the Eagles shooting a perfect 7-for-7 from the field that included 2-for-2 from the outside.  He ended up 16 points and finished with a game-high 18 points, tying his season-high that he reached back on Nov. 23 against Morris College.
 
Over the final nine minutes of the first half, NCCU outscored the ‘Jacks 24-10. 
 
The second half had its own drama with the Eagles widening the margin to 12 at 34-22 with 17:08 to go, but SFA battled back to whittle the deficit down to one at 47-46 with 6:38 remaining.
 
That’s when Ingram stepped up big for the maroon and gray.
 
On four straight possessions, the sophomore scored 11 points to thwart off the Lumberjack rally and pulled the Eagles back up by eight, which was just enough to put NCCU up for good in winning the contest 65-57.
 
Despite being outrebounded 40-23, NCCU’s stellar defensive effort held the ‘Jacks to 37.3 percent shooting (19-of-51) and 2-for-16 (12.5 percent) from three-point range.
 
Sutton ended the night recording his fifth double-double of the year with 17 points and 11 rebounds.  Willis rebounded from the rough shooting night in the loss to Oregon to muster up 11 points and 5 assists.
 
The Lumberjacks were led by Haymon’s 14 points, Jereal Scott was held to 12 points, while Antonio Bostic added 11 points.
 
NCCU (6-6) can end the week with two wins as the Eagles face Prairie View A&M University on Thurs., Dec. 22 at 7:30 p.m. (EST) in day three of the 2011 Global Sports Hoops Showcase at Matthew Knight Arena.  The Panthers dropped a 74-66 decision to showcase-host Oregon in the night finale on Wednesday.
 
Stay up-to-date with North Carolina Central University Athletics by flying over to www.NCCUEaglePride.com, the official website of NCCU Athletics.