WASHINGTON – North Carolina Central University scorched the net and held off a late surge from Howard University on the way to a 98-90 win over the Bison on Monday, Feb. 18 at Burr Gymnasium.

98 points is a new Division-I scoring high in a MEAC game for the Eagles, surpassing the 92 the Eagles scored against Morgan State on Jan. 21, and Florida A&M on Feb. 10, 2014.
 
NCCU (13-14, 8-5 MEAC) got off to a blisteringly hot start from the floor as they made 10 of their first 11 shots after starting 5-for-5.  Howard (12-14, 6-6 MEAC) kept pace as well as it shot 53.8 percent from the floor as well.  The Eagles finished the half at a highly efficient 69.2 percent, but Chad Lott (Shreveport, La.) was able to step through traffic for a layup right before time expired to put the Bison ahead 50-49 at the half after trailing for the majority of the first period.
 
Both teams traded jabs in the opening phases of the second half, as the lead changed hands multiple times.  The Eagles were finally able to pull away with help from an 8-0 run sparked by Jibri Blount (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Zacarry Douglas (Landover, Md.) to pull ahead 72-64 with 11:40 to go in regulation. 
 
The Bison threatened to topple the Eagles multiple times in the second half, but strong free throw shooting down the stretch from Randy Miller Jr. (Odenton, Md.) and Jordan Perkins (Greensboro, N.C.) helped the Eagles close the deal, 98-90.
 
Blount exploded in the second half to help motor the Eagles, as he scored 21 of his career-high 31 points after midway point, and he added seven rebounds to finish with a game-high in that category as well.  Miller shifted into a higher gear after the intermission also as he collected 16 of his 24 points in the second half.  Perkins reached a new season-high in scoring with 15 points, and tacked on five assists, and Raasean Davis (Chicago, Ill.) pulled down 10 points and six boards. 
 
The two top scorers in the league lived up to their billing for the Bison, as R.J. Cole (Union, N.J.) turned in a team-high 26 points, and Charles Williams (Richmond, Va.) followed suit with 24 points.  Lott was a strong factor for Howard as well with 18 points.
 
As a team, NCCU shot 59.3 percent from the floor, a new season-high in league play, and Howard responded by shooting 52.2 percent from the floor. The Eagles also nailed 10 treys for the seventh time this season as they went 10-for-21 from the suburbs.
 
The Eagles will return home for their final two home games of the year against Savannah State on Saturday, Feb. 23 and South Carolina State on ESPNU on Monday, Feb. 25.