NORFOLK, Va. – North Carolina Central University led wire-to-wire against Delaware State, and led by as many as 25 in the first half on the way to a 92-75 win in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday, March 11 at Scope Arena.
 
NCCU (18-13) sprinted out to a 32-9 lead over the first 12 minutes, and went on to expand the lead to 25 at 45-20, backed by six three-pointers in the first 20 minutes.  C.J. Keyser (Baltimore, Md.) led the line for the Eagles with 11 points in the first half with three treys, and made his first three shots from the floor.
 
DSU (6-26) made five triples of its own in the second period, and trimmed the lead down to eight at 67-59, with 10 minutes left.  However, the Eagles shot 50 percent from the floor to make their way into a fourth consecutive semifinal appearance by way of a 92-75 victory.
 
Keyser put up a game- and career-high 26 points and shot 6-for-7 from downtown to help lift the Eagles, and Jibri Blount (Pittsburgh, Pa.) earned his 14th double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.  Jordan Perkins (Greensboro, N.C.) dished out a game-high eight assists with a career-high-tying 17 points, and both Nicolas Fennell (Bowie, Md.) and Ty Graves (Greensboro, N.C.) put in 10 points.
 
John Crosby (Baltimore, Md.) scored a team-high 25 points for the Hornets, and Myles Carter (Philadelphia, Pa.) followed with 15 points.
 
Of note, the Eagles made 28 free throws which is the seventh-most in a single game in the Division I era, and the most in a game since the Eagles made 26 at Missisippi Valley State on Dec. 20, 2014.  NCCU went 28-for-35 from the line to shoot 80 percent, and also made its first 14 free throws.
 
The Eagles have now won 11 consecutive MEAC tournament games, and will face the winner between four-seed Bethune-Cookman and five-seed Morgan State on Friday, March 13 at 6:00 p.m.