Box Score


ORANGEBURG, S.C. (NCCUEaglePride.com) – Jeremy Ingram’s (Charlotte, N.C.) 17 first half points, senior Dominique Sutton’s eighth double-double of the season, and stellar Eagle defense was all North Carolina Central University needed to earn the season sweep over host South Carolina State University 71-57 on Monday night inside the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center in Orangeburg, S.C.
 
From the tip-off it seemed like the maroon and gray were going to have a rough night as the Eagles came out flat missing the first five shots, finding itself down 8-1 after the first media timeout.  The Eagles didn’t score their first field goal until the 10:54 mark of the first half on a tip-in from Ingram that found NCCU down 14-4.
 
“The Spark” carried NCCU from there as the Eagles went on an 11-4 run that included 10 points from Ingram to cut the deficit to three at 18-15.
 
Following the under eight media timeout, senior Tramar Beaman (Williamstown, N.J.) drilled a three from the right side to knot the game up at 18.
 
The momentum continued for the maroon and gray as the Eagles went on 12-2 spurt from there to pull ahead 30-18.
 
Head coach LeVelle Moton’s squad took a 34-23 lead into the locker room and never looked back.
 
Ingram’s astonishing play in the first half gave NCCU all the energy it needed to get the win as the sophomore shot 6-of-9 (66.6 percent) from the field that included a 4-for-6 effort from the outside to give him 17 points.
 
NCCU trailed 8-1 with 15:45 left in the first frame and from that point on the Eagles outscored the Bulldogs 33-15 to bury South Carolina State.  The maroon and gray shot as a team 6-for-12 (50.0 percent) from three-point range in the first 20 minutes.
 
In the second stanza, the Bulldogs continued to battle with a ton of heart, but the final 20 minutes of play belonged to Sutton who scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds.
 
SCSU started the second half with a three-pointer from its leading scorer Brandon Riley who cut the margin to eight at 34-26, but Ray Willis (Atlanta, Ga.) went on a 5-0 run himself to put NCCU back up by 13 at 39-26 with 18:10 to go.
 
With 17:37 left, Khalif Toombs hit a layup after an Eagle turnover to make it 39-28 and Sutton replied with an original three-point play to put NCCU up 42-28 with 16:48 remaining.
 
The closest the Bulldogs could get was six at 55-49 with 4:19 left, and the Eagles went on to drill the last 12 free-throws of the game to pull away for the win and earn the season sweep over SC State with a 71-57 final score.
 
Sutton led all scorers with 23 points and 11 rebounds earning his eighth double-double of the season.  Ingram ended the night with 19 points and five rebounds in the win, but his first half effort played a key role in the Eagle win, while Willis went 7-for-9 from the foul line to seal the deal for NCCU.  The junior has hit 48 of his last 51 free throws.
 
The top two players for SCSU, Riley and Toombs, combined to finish the evening 8-for-31 (25.8 percent) as Toombs led the Bulldogs with 17 points while Riley ended up with 12 in the loss.
 
The win for NCCU (15-14) guarantees a winning record within the league as the Eagles are now 9-6 in conference play. 
 
The maroon and gray have one contest remaining in the 2011-12 season which takes place Thursday, March 1 against the defending MEAC basketball tournament champion Hampton University Pirates.  Tip off from the Convocation Center is set for 7:00 p.m. in Hampton, Va.
 
With the conference tournament less than a week away, NCCU could find itself as high as the No. 4 seed or as low as the No. 6 seed with a win or a loss to the Pirates.
 
After listening to the broadcast of Thursday night’s matchup against Hampton, tune into a special edition of Eagle Talk Friday, March 2 at 12:00 p.m. live from Champps Americana at the Streets of Southpoint in Durham, N.C.  Fans are invited to join the Coach Moton and Joli Robinson along with a student-athlete from each team for the show.
 
Stay up-to-date with North Carolina Central University Athletics by flying over to www.NCCUEaglePride.com, the official website of NCCU Athletics.