Box Score
Photo Gallery:  NCCU vs. Howard (Special thanks to Howard Athletics)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – North Carolina Central University began the month of February off in style using the same defensive mentality to smother the host Bison of Howard University on the way to a convincing 79-65 victory in front of a near-packed house of 2,500 strong on Saturday afternoon in Burr Gymnasium.
 
Through the first four minutes, NCCU led 9-4 after Karamo Jawara's layup with 16:14 to go and from that point on the Eagles stretched the lead out to double figures and never looked backed taking a 22-9 advantage through the first 11 minutes.
 
An Antonin Galaya (St. Martin, French West Indies) three-point from the right corner with 32 seconds left gave the maroon and gray their largest lead of the first frame at 17, 38-21, but the MEAC's leading scorer, James Daniel, hit his only basket of the first half as time wound down, giving NCCU the 38-24 lead heading into the locker room.  Oddly enough, the Eagles managed to add to the lead in the first half despite a hot Jeremy Ingram (Charlotte, N.C.) who scored eight points really quick and senior point guard Emanuel Chapman (Raleigh, N.C.) in early foul trouble.
 
The relentless Eagles kept the pressure up in the second half, immediately stretching the lead out to 19 at 45-26 with 17:08 left on senior Alfonzo Houston's (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) fast break dunk which sent the large contingent of maroon and gray fans in attendance into a frenzy.
 
Howard did cut a 25-point margin to 18 on a Keon Hill three-pointer, but the first place Eagles used a 15-to-6 run to squash any hopes of a Bison win as the maroon and gray led 69-42 with 9:45 left in the game.
 
Groves' free throw gave NCCU a 28 point lead at 70-42 with 9:32 left and the Eagles simply put it in cruise control from there as the maroon and gray earned it seventh straight win by the final score of 79-65.
 
Howard (5-17, 3-4 MEAC) kept the fight going as the Bison scored 23 points in the final 10 minutes to cut the margin in half, but the damage had already been done.  The stifling Eagle defense held the league's top scorer to 13 points, going 3-for-13 (23.0 percent) from the field.  In the last two games, Daniel is shooting 3-for-23 (13.0 percent).
 
NCCU (15-5, 6-1 MEAC) was led by four players in double figures as Ingram ended the day leading all scorers with 16 points, while Groves finished with 15 points on 4-for-7 shooting from behind-the-arc.  After going 5-for-5 from-the-field that included a couple of highlight reel worthy plays around-the-rim, Jordan Parks (Queens, N.Y.) added 14 points, while Houston dropped-in 11 in the win.
 
The maroon and gray forced 17 HU turnovers, outrebounded Howard 35-30, and outscored the Bison in the paint 34-to-20, and move its focus to Monday night's matchup with the Hawks of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.  That contest is set for a 7:30 p.m. tip from the W.P. Hytche Athletic Center in Princess Anne, Md.
 
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