Box Score
Video:  Subject 2 Change Highlights (NCCU vs. Morgan State)

DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central University trailed Morgan State University by as many as 13 points in the second half, but NCCU junior forward Karamo Jawara's free throw with less than a second remaining lifted the Eagles to a dramatic 53-52 come-from-behind victory on Monday night in front of a boisterous crowd inside McDougald-McLendon Gym in Durham, N.C.

NCCU extends its home win streak to 19 games and, thanks to a Savannah State loss to Norfolk State on Monday, the Eagles grab sole possession of first place in the MEAC with a 5-1 conference record.

After trailing at the half for the first time at home all season, NCCU faced a 32-19 deficit when MSU forward Cedric Blossom made a layup with 18:57 left in the contest. The lead for the visiting Bears was 41-30 at the 11:16 mark when the Eagles started their game-changing spurt.

NCCU senior Jeremy Ingram electrified the fans by nailing his team's only three-point basket to give the Eagles a 44-43 edge with 5:25 on the clock. Moments later, Ingram sent the crowd into a frenzy with a break-away dunk to increase NCCU's advantage to 47-43 at 4:26, capping a 17-2 run.

Morgan State responded to the rally by staying close with the Eagles down the stretch, and tied the score at 52-52 on a jumper by Donte Pretlow with 34 seconds remaining.

After an NCCU timeout, the Eagles held the ball for a final shot. Ingram mishandled a back-door pass on the baseline, then grabbed the loose ball and found Jawara near the top of the key for a last second, 18-foot attempt. MSU forward Shaquille Duncan leaped to contest the game-winning try, but made contact with Jawara and was whistled for the foul.

Jawara calmly drained the first of two free throws with nine-tenths of a second on the clock to provide the Eagles with a one-point advantage. Following an NCCU timeout, Jawara intentionally missed the second free throw, which was grabbed by Bears center Ian Chiles with seven-tenths of a second remaining.

After a Morgan State timeout, Thair Heath threw a full-court pass in the direction of the Bears' 7-foot-2 center, but the ball slid through Chiles' hands and the final buzzer sounded.

Ingram finished the contest with a game-high 20 points for NCCU (14-5, 5-1 MEAC), while Jawara added 13 points and six rebounds for the Eagles. NCCU junior center Jay Copeland added seven points and six boards, senior point guard Emanuel Chapman stuffed the stat sheet with four points, six caroms, six assists and four steals, and junior guard Jordan Parks came off the bench to grab a team-best eight rebounds.

The Eagles bounced back from a poor-shooting first half, connecting on just 8-of-28 field goals (28.6 percent) in the opening 20 minutes, to convert 11-of-25 shots (44.0 percent) in the second half.

Morgan State (6-12, 4-2 MEAC) was topped by senior guard Justin Black with 17 points, four rebounds, five steals and four assists. Black, who entered the contest as the MEAC's third-leading scorer, netted 14 points by intermission, but was held to just three points on 1-for-4 shooting in the second half.  Chiles contributed eight points and a team-high eight boards for the Bears.

After five straight home games, NCCU hits the road on a six-game win streak to face Howard University on Saturday, Feb. 1 in Washington, D.C.