Box Score

DURHAM, N.C. – The eighth meeting between North Carolina Central University and Bethune Cookman University was nothing short of a heavyweight boxing match as Ray Willis (Atlanta, Ga.) scored the final 11 points for the Eagles to help put away the Wildcats in the 81-75 season-sweeping victory inside the unfriendly confines of McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium on Monday night.
 
The Eagles came out clicking on all cylinders as they went on a quick 6-0 spurt sending Bethune Cookman Gravelle Craig into a frenzy resulting in a technical foul.
 
B-CU struggled to get on the board as it took a couple of free throws by Ricky Johnson with 18:40 remaining to get the Wildcats going.  
 
Through the next six minutes the teams traded buckets back-and-forth with the score standing at 17-13 in favor of the maroon and gray with 11:57 left in the first fragment.
 
With 10:32 left following one of Jeremy Ingram’s (Charlotte, N.C.) three shots from the outside, tempers flared on both sides and B-CU’s Allan Dempster was ejected from the game because for throwing an elbow.
 
The Eagles used this jolt of energy to go on a 13-0 run highlighted by a deep three-pointer from Ingram pushing the maroon and gray lead to 30-13 and sending the near-capacity crowd of 2,614 to their feet.
 
Foul trouble soon began to hurt NCCU as the Wildcats went on a 14-3 run to cut the margin down to six at 33-27 with 3:19 left.
 
NCCU held the lead through the remainder of the first frame taking a 41-36 advantage into the locker room.
 
Through the first half, there were four technical fouls, one ejection, and a total of 29 fouls called.  There were a combined 45 free throws shot in the first 20 minutes of action.
 
B-CU stormed out to begin the second half as the Wildcats took their first lead of the game at 42-41 on a Javoris Bryant jumper, but NCCU answered right back with a Stanton Kidd (Baltimore, Md.) alley-oop from Emanuel Chapman (Raleigh, N.C.) to take a 43-42 lead.
 
In fact, the Eagles stretched the lead to six at 48-42 but the Wildcats simply would not quit.
 
Back-to-back Adrien Coleman layups would get BCU to within two points at 48-46, but NCCU put the clamps down on the visiting Cats.  The maroon and gray went on a 14-4 run pushing their lead to 62-50, highlighted by back-to-back three-pointers by Willis and Ingram with 9:25 left in the second stanza.
 
Over the next four minutes and change, Bethune-Cookman showed its championship pedigree going on a 13-to-1 rally, quieting the ruckus crowd and forcing NCCU head coach LeVelle Moton to take a 30 second timeout as the Wildcats tied the game at 63 all with 5:25 left.
 
A minute later with the Eagles desperately needing a big play, Chapman drained a three from the top of the key giving the Eagles the lead back 68-65.
 
The shot of the night came from Willis with 2:02 left in the game, as the 6-6 senior drained a three from the top of the key with the shot clock winding down sending the crowd into a frenzy and extending the maroon and gray lead to 73-67.
 
Willis would go on to score the final 11 points including a statement dunk which sealed the NCCU victory 81-75 the final score.
 
The victory for the Eagles over the Wildcats matches last season win total at 17, but gives Moton win No. 56 of his career.
 
Three Bethune-Cookman student athletes scored in double figured including Adrien Coleman who led the Wildcats tying a career-high with 31 points and 10 rebounds, while Kevin Dukes scored 12 points and Malik Jackson contributed 10 points
 
Leading the Eagles was Jeremy Ingram who scored a career-high 32 points which included going 17-for-20 from the free throw line, while Ray Willis chipped-in with 19 points in the crucial league win.
 
Chapman recorded five helpers on the night, giving him 367 career assists which places him second All-time at NCCU for career assists passing former Eagle Bryan Ayala (2005-2009) who ended his career with 366 helpers.
 
NCCU (17-7, 10-0 MEAC) looks to extend its winning streak to 12 games as they head to Savannah, Ga. to battle the reigning MEAC regular season champion Tigers of Savannah State University on Saturday, February 16, inside Tiger Arena at 6:00 p.m.
 
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