DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University men's basketball program started the game by scoring 23 unanswered points against Warren Wilson, and the Eagles kept up that torrid scoring pace for 40 minutes on the way to a 115-43 win over the Owls on Thursday, Feb. 10 inside McDougald-McLendon Arena.
NCCU (11-11) made its first eight shots from the field, and first five shots from the arc to open up the big 23-0 margin in the first 4:39 of the contest, and kept the pedal to the medal from there. The Eagles dropped in 63 points in the first 20 minutes, and shot 63.2 percent from the floor, both single-half highs this season.
NCCU tacked on another 52 points in the second half, and posted a 67.7 percent success rate on field goals on the way to the 72-point victory. The Eagles shot 65.2 percent from the floor over the game, and that is the highest since the 2014-15 season when NCCU converted 68.5 percent of its attempts against Johnson and Wales on Dec. 2, 2014.
The Eagles also placed themselves into the record book with the 72-point triumph, as it is now the fifth-largest margin of victory in program history. That margin is the second largest this season, however, as NCCU tied for the third-largest margin of victory when it defeated WWC (4-12) by 78 on Nov. 23, 2021 in the season-opener.
Ja'Darius Harris (Trenton, Tenn.) was one of two Eagles to reach 20 points in the contest, and he dropped in a season-high 22 points, followed by
Marque Maultsby (Raleigh, N.C.) with 20 points.
Cameron Butler (Chicago, Ill.) went a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor, and recorded his first double-double as an Eagle with 15 points and 11 rebounds. In total, six Eagles reached double-digits in scoring.
Eric Boone (Lexington, Ky.) didn't have the same titanic scoring night he had on Monday at South Carolina State, but he did generate six points, five rebounds, six assists, and five steals for the maroon and gray.
Tarique Kaiser (Rolesville, N.C.) led WWC with 11 points, and Dashawn Goodine (Seneca, S.C.) contributed seven points with four assists.
NCCU now has a short turnaround as it heads back on the road to face Morgan State on Saturday, Feb. 12.
For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com, or download the NCCU Eagles Athletics App.
