NORFOLK, Va. – The North Carolina Central University men's basketball program put together a late 10-0 run to close the gap to five points with just 4:30 remaining after trailing by as many as 15, but Coppin State was able to hold off the late wave of momentum to grab a 79-73 win in the semifinal round of the MEAC Tournament at Scope Arena.
The first half was evenly matched between NCCU (16-15) and CSU (9-22), as both teams shot 37 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes. The difference came at the three-point line, as CSU knocked down six treys in the first half, led by three from Kyle Cardaci (Holmdel, N.J.). Cardaci had a chance to put CSU ahead at the break, but a three-pointer rattled out as time expired to keep the game tied at 29 at the intermission.
CSU continued to shoot the ball well from the perimeter in the second half, this time spurred by Jesse Zarzuela (Houston, Texas) who hit a total of six triples to help CSU build up a 15-point advantage. NCCU held its resolve and strung together a 10-0 run to close the score to 66-61 with 4:30 left after a couple clutch threes from
Kris Monroe (Raleigh, N.C.). However, NCCU was unable to pull ahead in the late stages.
Monroe poured in a team-high 18 with seven rebounds for NCCU, and
Justin Wright (Greenville, N.C.) followed with 14 points and seven boards as well.
Eric Boone (Lexington, Ky.) and
Randy Miller Jr. (Odenton, Md.) both had 12 points, and Boone tacked on six caroms.
Nicolas Fennell (Bowie, Md.) chipped in nine points, and
Cameron Butler (Chicago, Ill.) claimed a team-high 10 boards.
Zarzuela posted a game-high 27 points with his six treys, and Justin Steers (Philadelphia, Pa.) put up a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds. Nendah Tarke (Gaitherburg, Md.) put in 14 points, and Cardaci scored nine with his three triples. As a team, CSU hit 12 three-pointers in the contest.
