BOX SCORE: NCCU AT NORTHERN ARIZONA (HTML)

NICEVILLE, FLORIDA – North Carolina Central University used a 14-to-2 run midway through the second half and played lockdown defense the rest of the way to hold off the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona University to win the 2014 Emerald Coast Classic Championship in the consolation bracket on Saturday by the 40-36 tally inside Raider Arena in Niceville, Florida.

The win marks the lowest points scored in an Eagle victory since the maroon and gray beat West Virginia State 37-31 on Jan. 29, 1944.
 
The first half saw two teams throwing haymakers left-and-right as offense was certainly at a premium as Eagles went 1-for-12 (8.3 percent) from three-point range, while the Lumberjacks were just 7-for-20 (35.0 percent) from-the-field as both teams were knotted up at 19 apiece through the first 20 minutes.
 
NAU made a big move in the early portion of the second half taking a 26-21 lead thanks to a 7-2 run following a three-point play by the Lumberjacks forward Quinton Upshur.
 
NCCU never backed down as they trailed 29-23 after Aaseem Dixon's lone three-pointer, but the Eagle offense awoke as senior Anthony McDonald (Aberdeen, Mississippi) drilled a back-to-back three-pointers that saw the maroon and gray take a 35-31 lead with 10:04 left.
 
On the next possession, McDonald's drive to the basket gave the Eagles its largest lead of the day at 37-31 with 8:28 to go.
 
From that point forward, the game became a defensive standoff as both teams combine for eight points the rest of the way, but NAU cut it two at 38-36 with 1:23 left after Upshur's final three-pointer of the day.
 
Thanks to two McDonald foul shots, NCCU made it 40-36 with 26 seconds left, but redshirt junior Dante Holmes (Baltimore, Maryland) fouled Upshur shooting a three-pointer with 1.3 seconds left, but he missed all three and the maroon and gray held on to the four-point victory.
 
Senior Jordan Parks (Queens, New York) paced the maroon and gray with 12 points, while McDonald added all 10 of his points in the second frame to propel the Eagles to the big win.
 
NAU's (2-5) Upshur finished with 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting in the loss as NCCU held the Lumberjacks to 33.3 percent from-the-field on the day.
 
The maroon and gray won despite not making any field goals over the final 8:28 of the game,  shooting 3-for-21 (14.3 percent) from-the-outside, and went 7-for-12 from the foul line.  The Eagles outscored the Lumberjacks in-the-paint at 20-14 and 12-to-5 in points off turnovers.
Senior Karamo Jawara (Bergen, Norway) earned All-Classic Team honors for his performance through the four game stretch for NCCU.
 
NCCU (3-3) has now won two straight and will look for its third straight on Tuesday night against Johnson and Wales inside the friendly confines of McDougald-McLendon Gym at 7:00 p.m.
 
Visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com or download the NCCU Sports Network app available in the App Store, Google Play and Amazon for the latest on NCCU Athletics.