DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University men's basketball program was accurate from the free throw line down the stretch, and used those opportunities to hold off Florida A&M for a 74-71 victory to close the regular season inside McDougald-McLendon Arena on Thursday, March 4.
 
After NCCU (5-8, 3-5 MEAC) jumped out to a 7-0 lead last night, FAMU (8-11, 7-5 MEAC) took a 15-4 advantage in the first eight minutes.  The Eagles held firm and were able to rally into the lead by way of an and-one from C.J. Keyser (Baltimore, Md.) to go ahead 26-25 with 5:47 remaining in the half.  FAMU pulled ahead by five once again, but late free throws from Mike Melvin (Fayetteville, N.C.) gave the hosts a 34-33 lead at the break.
 
The Eagles put together a 10-2 run over three minutes early in the second half to build up a 52-42 lead with just under 14 minutes remaining in the contest, but even still the Rattlers refused to go quietly.  FAMU kept chipping away, and narrowed the deficit down to two with just nine seconds remaining.  In the final 1:13 of the contest, NCCU went 9-for-10 from the free throw line, and concluded with six consecutive makes.  Alex Caldwell (Columbia, S.C.) made a pair, and Deven Palmer (Hyde Park, Mass.) made the final four free throws in the final 12 seconds to hold off the Rattlers, 74-70.
 
Palmer concluded his final regular season game inside McDougald-McLendon Arena with his first double-double as an Eagle, as he registered a game-high 17 points with 10 rebounds.  Jahnathan Maxwell (Virginia Beach, Va.) scored a season-best 14 points with five boards, and C.J. Keyser (Baltimore, Md.) poured in 13 points.  Nicolas Fennell (Bowie, Md.) was the fourth Eagle to reach double-digits with 11 points and a game-high three steals in 36 minutes of work, and Mike Melvin (Fayetteville, N.C.) dished out a season-high six assists with seven points.
 
FAMU had three players reach 14 points, led by M.J. Randolph (Pensacola, Fla.) who also added five rebounds and five assists.  Kamron Reaves (Champaign, Ill.) and Jalen Speer (Gainesville, Fla.) were the other two Rattlers to reach the mark.
 
NCCU will now prepare to head to Norfolk, Virginia for the MEAC Tournament which will begin on Thursday, March 11.  The bracket will be released by the league office at a later date.