Box Score
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (NCCUEaglePride.com) – The fifth-seeded Eagles of North Carolina Central University used another strong defensive effort, along with a 14-2 second half run to pull away from the No. 12 seeded Hawks of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to advance to the quarterfinal round of the 2012 Mid-Eastern Conference Tournament with a 60-43 win on Tuesday afternoon inside the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Both teams came out with the jitters as UMES led 10-5 with 12:45 to go in the first frame, but once again Jeremy Ingram (Charlotte, N.C.) came off the bench and provided the spark for the maroon and gray scoring six straight points to give NCCU its first lead of the day at 11-10 with 12:05 to go.
Maryland Eastern Shore continued to battle in the first half taking the lead back at 16-15 following a Gregory Womack three-pointer, but senior point guard Justin Leemow (Brooklyn, N.Y.) answered with a layup to give the Eagles a 17-16 lead with 7:28 left.
On the next NCCU possession senior Nick Chasten (Raleigh, N.C.) drilled a three-pointer to put NCCU up 20-16 with 6:16 left.
The maroon and gray finished off the 9-0 run to pull ahead by 8 at 24-16 and would take a 29-26 lead into the locker room.
In the second stanza, head coach LeVelle Moton’s squad made their best move of the day as the Eagles stretched a three-point halftime lead to 15 with a 14-2 spurt that included two shots from the outside from Leemow, and one from Tramar Beaman (Williamstown, N.J.) to put NCCU up 43-30 with 14:11 left in the game.
The rest of the way, the Hawks managed to bring the deficit into to single digits only one more time as NCCU imposed its will on UMES, leading by as much as 20 with 4:46 to go after a Dominique Sutton (Durham, N.C.) layup.
The maroon and gray went on to win the game 60-43 earning win no. 17 of the season tying for the most wins in a season at NCCU since the 1999-2000 campaign when former head coach Greg Jackson led the Eagles to a 17-9 record in his final season at the helm.
NCCU was aided by three double-digit performers in the first round victory as Sutton led the Eagles with 13 points, five rebounds, and three steals on 2-for-7 shooting, but excelled at the foul line going 9-for-11.
Junior Ebuka Anyaorah recorded double figures for the first time in 11 games contributing 11 points, four rebounds, two steals, and one ferocious block that ended up in the fifth row of the coliseum.
Leemow was two-for-three from the outside in the win for the Eagles, finishing with 10 points, three assists in 19 minutes of action.
The victory is the first conference tournament victory of any type since Feb. 28, 2007 when NCCU beat Saint Paul’s in the CIAA Tournament under former head coach Henry Dickerson.
The Eagles will take on the No. 4 seed Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman University on Thursday night, March 8 at 8:00 in quarterfinal round action of the 2012 MEAC Men’s Basketball Tournament.
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