DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – North Carolina Central University shot a scorching-hot 59.6 percent from the floor to speed past Bethune-Cookman, 86-59 on Saturday, Jan. 18 inside Moore Gymnasium.
 
With the win, the NCCU (7-11, 3-1 MEAC) collected its first win in Moore Gym since Feb. 14, 2015 when the Eagles defeated B-CU (9-10, 3-2 MEAC), 72-49.  The Wildcats had won the last three meetings at home.
 
B-CU took a 5-0 lead to start the game, but after that NCCU took a tight grip of the game on the back of a 12-0 run that eventually led to a 25-6 run.  The Eagles led by as many as 21 as Deven Palmer (Hyde Park, Mass.) capped the first half with a three-pointer to give NCCU a 49-28 advantage at the midway point.
 
At one point, the Eagles had made seven consecutive field goals, and the squad shot 60.6 percent from the field (20-for-33) as a team in the first 20 minutes.  Jibri Blount (Pittsburgh, Pa.) led the line as he shot 9-for-11 and scored 20 points, while the maroon and gray held the Wildcats to 30.3 percent shooting in the first period.
 
The Wildcats turned the tables out of the locker room as they started the second period on a 7-0 run, but the Eagles quickly regained their footing and continued on the hot-shooting trend they established in the first half.  C.J. Keyser (Baltimore, Md.) scored 12 points in the second half in his return to the lineup, and finished with a new season-high of 18 points to help the Eagles to an 86-59 win.
 
Blount finished with his third double-double in the last four games with a game-high 29 points with 10 boards for the Eagles.  Palmer was also a strong contributor with 12 points, and Jordan Perkins (Greensboro, N.C.) pushed out a game-high six assists with nine points.
 
Isaiah Bailey (Compton, Calif.) led the hosts with 23 points and five rebounds, and Cletrell Pope (Northport, Ala.) put in 10 points and eight rebounds for the Wildcats.
 
The Eagles will travel to Florida A&M on Monday, Jan. 20 to finish up the four-game road trek, and will return to McDougald-McLendon Arena on Saturday, Jan. 25 against Delaware State.