The North Carolina Central men's basketball team is headed to the MEAC Tournament Championship for the first time since 2019 after defeating No. 7 Delaware State on Friday night, 59-53, at Norfolk Scope Arena. The Eagles enter Saturday's final as the No. 3 seed and will face No. 1 Howard.
In NCCU's last championship appearance in 2019, the Eagles won their fourth MEAC title and completed a three-peat. This will mark the first time the Eagles and Bison meet in the MEAC championship game.
NCCU (14-17) was led by Kyric Davis, who poured in a season-high 23 points to go along with eight rebounds. Davis was a perfect 11-for-11 from the field in 33 minutes of action. Kelechi Okworogwo also chipped in 15 points and seven rebounds.
DSU (8-23) entered the game with momentum after knocking off No. 2 Morgan State on Wednesday. The Hornets kept the game close throughout, led by Ponce James with 17 points as he tried to lift his team to a victory.
The Eagles took control early in the first half, getting on the board with two quick scores from Okworogwo. Delaware State responded with a 7-0 run until Davis began to take over. Davis finished the first half with 12 points, capitalizing on offensive rebounds.
During NC Central's 12-0 run, Ryan Archey provided a spark off the bench. The Eagles forced 10 turnovers by the Hornets and held a 24-10 advantage in points in the paint, taking a 32-21 lead into halftime.
Delaware State opened the second half determined to fight back, using an 8-0 run and holding NCCU scoreless for two minutes. The surge prompted head coach LeVelle Moton to call a timeout to regroup the Eagles.
James, Rahmir Moore and Jalen St. Clair helped Delaware State trim the deficit to two points on three different occasions before the final media timeout. Free throws from Davis, Jae Slack and Gage Lattimore extended the lead late as the Hornets ran out of time.
NC Central dropped both regular-season meetings with Howard and will look to break that trend on Saturday, March 14. The championship tips off at 1 p.m. at Scope Arena and will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
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