DURHAM, N.C. – Led by a 21-point, six-rebound performance from Khouri Carvey, the North Carolina Central men's basketball team came out on top 72-63 against Delaware State on Monday evening at McDougald-McLendon Arena.
Joining Carvey in double figures were Kelechi Okworogwo (10) and Jae Slack (11), moving the Eagles to 5-2 in conference play and 9-13 overall.
The Eagles got off to a slow start and were climbing out of a deficit for almost the entire first half. The Hornets were up by as much as 10 points with 5 minutes remaining as NCCU missed second-chance opportunities at the rim.
A 12-5 run would get the Eagles back into it in the final 4:30 as NCCU earned its first lead with 13 seconds left in the first half after Khouri Carvey knocked down a couple of free throws, bringing the score to 32-30.
Delaware State used those final seconds to jump back ahead after a Ponce James three-pointer, which was the Hornets' first in the bucket in 2:53, closing the half up by one.
NCCU made it a point to feed Carvey in the paint in the opening minutes of the second half. He made three consecutive buckets, giving the Eagles an advantage. By the 12-minute media timeout, NCCU was up by five.
NC Central extended the lead after that point with a 13-6 run, as the Eagles had the 60-48 advantage with 5:27 remaining. That was the largest lead of the night for the Maroon & Gray. The Hornets would cut their deficit to single digits throughout the final minutes, but the Eagles kept control, winning 72-63.
Delaware State (6-17, 1-7 MEAC) was powered by Miles Webb, who also scored 21 points.
The Eagles took care of business in the paint with a 44-30 advantage, while also capitalizing on 14 Delaware State turnovers, scoring 19 points. The two squads were even in rebounds at 27 apiece. NCCU shot 28-of-53 from the field (52.8 percent).
Next up for the Eagles will be the visiting Eagles of Coppin State on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 4:30 p.m. The NC Central seniors will also be honored.
For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.
