Box Score

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. (NCCUEaglePride.com) – Four North Carolina Central University student-athletes recorded double figures led by junior Ray Willis’s (Atlanta, Ga.) 20 points as the Eagles earned the season sweep over the defending regular season MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) champ Bethune-Cookman University 81-79 on Monday night in Moore Gymnasium.
 
Seniors Nick Chasten (Raleigh, N.C.) and Dominique Sutton (Durham, N.C.) scored 18 points along with sophomore Jeremy Ingram (Charlotte, N.C.) who scored all 10 of his points in the second half.
 
The fifth meeting between these two programs featured 11 ties and only one lead change as the Wildcats came out strong through the first three minutes to take a 10-4 lead after an Anthony Breeze layup with 17:01 to go in the first frame.
 
The Eagles battled back with an 8-2 spurt of their own to tie the game at 12 following two Willis free throws with 14:06 to go.
 
Over the next six minutes both teams jockeyed for position with NCCU making its best move in the first half with the game tied at 22, when Tramar Beaman (Williamstown, N.J.) hit a big three-pointer to give the Eagles their first lead of the day.
 
The maroon and gray grabbed a 27-22 lead after the 5-0 spurt, but B-CU swung right back to tie the game at 31 apiece following a layup by Javoris Bryant.
 
A 7-1 run pushed the Eagles ahead by six heading into the locker room to lead 38-32. 
 
The second half was a wild west shootout with both teams scorching the nets as NCCU missed just six shots going 13-for-19 (68.4%) that included a number of big shots to keep the lead for most of the second half.  Not to mention that the Eagles were an astonishing 6-for-7 from three-point land in the final half.
 
With 16:30 to go in the game, Chasten’s three-pointer put the Eagles up by five at 43-38.
 
Chasten hit another huge three with 12:50 to go to give NCCU the six-point lead at 50-44.
 
B-CU fought right back to tie the game at 54 and seemed to have the Eagles’ back against the wall, then Ingram drilled a clutch three-pointer with 8:40 remaining to put NCCU back up by three at 57-54.
 
Ingram’s next shot from the outside put the finishing touches on a 7-3 spurt to give NCCU at 64-57 lead with 6:39 remaining.
 
Every Wildcat rally was met by a big shot by the maroon and gray.  Willis’s three-pointer with 3:33 remaining in the second stanza put NCCU ahead for good at 71-62.
 
From that point on, the Eagles went 8-for-8 from the foul line to seal the deal and earn the season sweep over the Wildcats, despite the late rally, NCCU held on for the 81-79 win.
 
B-CU’s Adrien Coleman led all scorers with a career-high 29 points in the loss for the Wildcats (10-14, 7-3 MEAC).  As a team, the Wildcats shot 18-for-26 (69.2%) from the field in the second half despite the loss.
 
NCCU looks to make it four wins in-a-row on Saturday, Feb. 11 as the Tigers of Savannah State University come to the Bull City for yet another crucial MEAC matchup.  SSU is currently 7-2 in the conference just a game-and-a-half behind Norfolk State for first place in the league.
 
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