DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – North Carolina Central fought hard down the stretch, but strong first-half shooting from Bethune-Cookman University proved to be the difference as the Eagles fell 69-61 on Saturday, Feb. 27 at Moore Gym.

The win for B-CU (13-16, 9-5 MEAC) marked the first time it has defeated NCCU (11-17, 6-8 MEAC) in a conference game.

The Wildcats shot lights-out from the perimeter in the first half as they knocked down eight three-pointers out of 18 attempted.  Ricky Johnson (Akron, Ohio) knocked down three, and Mario Moody (East Orange, N.J.) hit a pair on his way to 16 points and six rebounds in the first half.

Moody tallied a game-high 22 points and nine rebounds, and Johnson followed with 15 points.

Dante Holmes (Baltimore, Md.) collected six points and seven boards in the first 20 minutes to lead the Eagles, and Jeremiah Ingram (Detroit, Mich.) put in seven points.  However, the Eagles went to the break trailing 39-28.

NCCU opened the second half on a 13-6 run over the first five minutes to trim the deficit to three points at 45-42.  B-CU was able to stretch the lead back out to nine in the second period, but the Eagles kept fighting down the stretch, and a big three from Ingram brought the margin down to four with just 1:18 to play.

NCCU had an opportunity to close the gap even further after forcing a turnover in the backcourt on the next possession, but a late charge call would yet again turn the tide in this series to allow B-CU to get to the finish line first.

Ingram finished with a team-high 19 points and six rebounds, and Holmes earned 17 points and a team-high eight boards.  Kyle Benton (Long Beach, Calif.) contributed nine points and seven rebounds for the Eagles as well.

With the loss, NCCU can now finish as high as fifth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

The Eagles will host Savannah State University on Monday, Feb. 29 for their final home game of the season at 7:30 p.m.

For more information, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.