DOVER, Del. – In a tale of two halves, North Carolina Central men's basketball dominated after the break to earn a 74-60 victory at Delaware State on Saturday evening inside Memorial Hall. All five starters finished in double figures, with Kelechi Okworogwo and Kyric Davis leading the way with 15 points each.

NCCU (11-16, 7-5 MEAC) bounced back after two straight road losses. Dionte Johnson (14 points), Tekao Carpenter (14) and Gage Lattimore (12) joined Okworogwo and Davis in double figures. Okworogwo shot a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and grabbed 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.

Delaware State (6-21, 1-11 MEAC) started strong and grabbed the early lead. NC Central battled back to tie the game five times in the first half but held the advantage for less than two minutes. The Hornets relied on inside scoring, holding a 16-6 edge in points in the paint.

The Eagles struggled offensively in the opening 20 minutes, shooting just 8-of-24 (33.3 percent) from the field. The Hornets connected on 14-of-31 attempts before halftime to take a 33-27 lead into the break.

The tide turned in the second half as NCCU shot 62.1 percent from the floor after halftime. The Eagles flipped the script in the paint with a 20-10 advantage and knocked down five shots from beyond the arc.

The Maroon & Gray also tightened up defensively, forcing 16 total turnovers while committing just two in the second half. NCCU converted those miscues into 21 points.

After taking a 37-35 lead with 16:36 remaining, NC Central never lost control, outscoring the Hornets 47-27 in the second half.

The Eagles remain on the road, traveling to Maryland Eastern Shore for a 7 p.m. matchup on Monday, March 2, at Hytche Arena.

For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.