North Carolina Central Eagles Outduel Winthrop

DURHAM, North Carolina  -- The rust of an 11-day layoff for North Carolina Central University didn't take much time to shake off as the Eagles outlasted Winthrop University 72-66, to earn their 13th straight victory inside McDougald-McLendon Gym on Wednesday night.

In a game that included five lead changes and 17 combined three-pointers, Winthrop made a statement from the opening tip, flying out to an 11-3 lead, highlighted by two Keon Johnson shots from behind-the-arc.

NCCU countered with a 13-4 run of their own with Reggie Groves (Raleigh, N.C.) and Jordan Parks (Queens, N.Y.), providing a boost off- the-bench, hitting back-to-back three-pointers to give NCCU its first lead of the game 16-15.

With the score tied at 27, the maroon and gray forced two consecutive WU turnovers, in which NCCU converted into five straight points to take a 32-27 lead with 2:21 left in the half.  In fact, the host Eagles turned 10 Winthrop mistakes into 16 first half points.

A  Jeremy Ingram (Charlotte, N.C.) three-pointer at the top of the key with eight seconds left in the first stanza helped the maroon and gray take momentum into the locker room, with a 39-32 advantage, their largest of the first half.

Entering the second half, Winthrop eyed a comeback, outscoring the Eagles 8-to-4 cutting the margin to three at 43-40, which was followed up by Emanuel Chapman's lone shot from deep to spring the margin back to six at 46-40.

Thanks in part to WU's Josh Davenport, who scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half, the visiting Eagles climbed all the way back in the contest. With 10:51 to go in the game, an Andre Smith three-pointer put Winthrop in front at 53-51. That marked the first lead for WU since 6:51 mark in the first half.

With their backs against the wall, the maroon and gray refused to be denied, executing down-the-stretch with the prime example coming with 7:25 to go when Groves drilled his third shot from deep to give NCCU the advantage at 58-56.

A 4-1 spurt gave the Eagles a 62-57 lead with 6:04 to go, prompting Winthrop head coach Pat Kelsey to call a 30-second timeout.

A Keon Johnson 25-foot three-pointer cut the deficit to 62-60, but that was as close as the visiting Eagles got on the night as the maroon and gray shot 6-of-8 from the foul line to clinch the win.

Three student-athletes scored in double figures, led by Ingram's 24 points, Parks chipped-in with 18 points, while Groves contributed with 12 points. Ingram is now No.  29 in all-time scoring with 1,026 career points, passing former Eagle C.J. Wilkerson.

Emanuel Chapman (Raleigh, N.C.) recorded nine assists with just two turnovers, to make him the first Eagle in school history to amass over 460 assists in a career. Chapman currently has 465 career helpers and with his two steals on the night he moved to ninth on NCCU's all-time steals list with 126 thefts in his career.

Josh Davenport led the way for Winthrop with 15 points, along with 12 points from Keon Johnson, while current Big South player of the week Joab Jerome added 11 points in defeat.

The host Eagles outscored Winthrop 30-to-20 in-the-paint and converted 18 turnovers into 23 points.

During NCCU head coach LeVelle Moton's tenure the Eagles are 35-2 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field.

NCCU (7-2) shifts its focus to Sunday, Dec. 22, as the Eagles travel to Wichita, Kansas to face  nationally-ranked Wichita State University. Tipoff between the maroon and gray and the No. 9/11 Shockers inside Charles Koch Arena slated for 8:00 p.m. (EST).

For more information about NCCU athletics, visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com or download the NCCU Sports Network app available in the App Store, Google Play and Amazon.

Box Score

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION