NORFOLK, Va. – North Carolina Central University's men's basketball season came to a disappointing end as the Eagles fell to Norfolk State, 87-58 in the quarterfinal round of the 2021 Air Force Reserve MEAC Basketball Tournament on Thursday, March 11.
 
NCCU (5-9) has now been defeated in the conference tournament for the first time since 2016, snapping an 11-game winning streak for the Eagles that included three consecutive championships.
 
The Eagles found it difficult to lift the lid on the basket as NSU (15-7) kept NCCU off of the scoreboard for the opening seven minutes of the contest, and built a 17-point lead in the process.  Despite the lead, NCCU refused to give in, and finished the first period on a 15-8 run that was punctuated by a three-pointer by Mike Melvin (Fayetteville, N.C.) to close the half with the Eagles trailing, 44-33.
 
NSU kept up its rapid scoring pace in the second half, and were able to pull away from the Eagles to advance by way of an 87-58 final score.
 
Senior C.J. Keyser (Baltimore, Md.) posted a team-high 19 points in his final game as an Eagle, and senior Deven Palmer (Hyde Park, Mass.) followed him with 14 points and seven rebounds.
 
NSU was led by Joe Bryant Jr. (Norfolk, Va.) who scored a game-high 30 points, and Devante Carter (Newport News, Va.) had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and also collected nine assists.