Box Score
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DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University men’s basketball team forced 33 turnovers, amassed 23 steals, and outscored the Wildcats of Johnson and Wales University 48-20 in the paint en route to a 109-46 throttling in front of 2,111 fans inside McDougald-McLendon Gym on Monday night in the Eagles’ home opener.
 
NCCU jumped out to a 10-0 lead that included four quick points by redshirt sophomore forward Jay Copeland (Suffolk, Va.), but Johnson and Wales seemed to be a game squad early-on clawing back with a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to four at 10-6 with 16:54 to go in the first stanza.
 
The Eagles would turn the intensity up as the maroon and gray went on a 13-2 burst over the next two minutes behind the sharp shooting junior Jeremy Ingram (Charlotte, N.C.) who hit two shots from the outside on back-to-back possessions and finished it off with a three-point play to put NCCU up 23-8 with 14:10 to go.
 
Over the remainder of the first half, the Eagles outscored the Wildcats 34-15 to take a 57-23 lead into the locker room.
 
Through the first 20 minutes of play, NCCU shot 54.3 percent from the field that included five three-pointers and a stellar 14-for-15 from the foul line, while forcing 15 first half JWU turnovers and holding the Wildcats to nine field goals in the frame.
 
The second half was much of the same story as the maroon and gray flexed their muscle and went on an 18-1 spurt through the first five minutes of the second half to extend the lead to 51 at 75-24 with 15:50 left in the game.
 
The Eagles kept the defensive pressure up and pushed the lead to 61 on an alley-oop from Emanuel Chapman (Raleigh, N.C.) to Stanton Kidd (Baltimore, Md.) putting the score at 93-32 with 7:29 remaining and NCCU cruised from there to run away with a 109 to 46 victory.
 
Everyone who entered the game for NCCU scored on the night led by Ray Willis’s 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Ingram’s first half jolt pushed the Eagles ahead for good, he ended the evening with 16 points, six assists, five rebounds, and a steal.  Junior transfer Drimir Ferguson (Bronx, N.Y.) scored double figures for the first time as an Eagle with 14 points, eight assists, three rebounds, and eight steals.  Kidd and junior guard Alfonzo Houston (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) finished with 12 and 10 points respectively in the win.
 
The 33 forced turnovers on the night are the most in the NCAA Division I era.  The Eagles also outscored the Wildcats 48-to-7 off turnovers, 32-to-2 in fast break points, and 61-to-2 in points off the bench.
 
The eight steals by Ferguson were two shy of the school record set by former Eagle Jimmie Walker on Jan. 25, 1993 as he amassed 10 steals for the maroon and gray against the District of Columbia.
 
NCCU (1-1) hits the road for Laramie, Wyo. for the 2012 Global Sports Hoops Showcase hosted by the University of Wyoming, where the Eagles and Cowboys will tangle on Wednesday night, Nov. 14 at 9:00 p.m. (EST) from the Arena Auditorium.  Thursday at 6:30 p.m., the maroon and gray will take on Southern in a MEAC/SWAC showdown, and the showcase finale is a 3:00 p.m. tip on Friday afternoon against South Dakota. 
 
Stay up-to-date with North Carolina Central University Athletics by flying over to www.NCCUEaglePride.com, the official website of NCCU Athletics.