DURHAM, North Carolina -- North Carolina Central University earned its fifth straight win to move to 4-1 in the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) behind 18 points in the first half by senior Jeremy Ingram (Charlotte, N.C.) to go along with the staunch maroon and gray defense holding Coppin State University to 33.3 percent shooting on the way to an 87-63 win at McDougald-McLendon Gym on Saturday afternoon.
The host Eagles were scorching from the field offensively to take the early advantage as NCCU jumped out to a 9-2 lead through the first three minutes.
Both teams went back-and-forth through the first nine minutes cutting the early deficit to two at 18-16 with 11:28 to go in the first frame on senior Michael Murray's three-pointer.
The maroon and gray responded with an 8-to-2 run to take a 26-18 lead on sophomore Dante Holmes (Baltimore, Md.) jumper with 8:46 to go.
Over the next four minutes, the host Eagles heated up from behind-the-arc and stretch the lead out to 14 at 40-26 and used that momentum to take a 50-37 advantage into the locker room.
In the first half, Ingram went 3-for-4 from three-point range and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the foul line to pace the maroon and gray with 18 points. As a team, NCCU shot 18-for-29 (62.1 percent) from-the-field, 7-for-10 (70 percent) from three-point range to jump out to the double-digit lead.
Coppin State came out in the second half determined to get back in the game, cutting the margin to eight at 52-44 after Sterling Smith's three-pointer with 18:17 left.
With 16:46 left in the second stanza, CSU's Brandon St. Louis free throw cut the deficit to seven at 54-47.
The host Eagles got a big boost from junior Jordan Parks' (Queens, N.Y.) top-of-the-key three-pointer to push the advantage back to 11 at 60-49 with 15:09 to go.
CSU made it 64-58 on Daquan Brickhouse's layup with 10:50 left, and that's when the maroon and gray dropped the hammer and went on a 17-0 run to put the visiting Eagles away at 81-58. During that span, Coppin State missed seven straight shots as the host Eagles pulled away for the 87-63 win.
In the win, NCCU shot 51.6 percent from the field, 9-for-16 (56.3 percent) from three-point range, while connecting on 14-of-16 (87.5 percent) from the charity stripe. On the other hand, the host Eagle defense held Coppin State to 20-of-60 shooting from the field and outscored them in the paint 42-18, and 16-to-2 in fast break points.
Ingram led all scorers with 24 points as he connected on 3-of-6 shots from deep and was a perfect 9-for-9 from the foul line. Senior Point guard Emanuel Chapman (Raleigh, N.C.) ended the day with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting as he went 2-for-4 from three-point range in the win. Parks ended up with 12 points, while both Alfonzo Houston (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) and Holmes finished with 10 points respectively.
CSU (6-13, 3-3 MEAC) was led by the duo of Taariq Cephas and Michael Murray who both piled up 16 points in the second straight league loss for the Eagles.
NCCU (13-5, 4-1 MEAC) will be playing for a spot atop the league as they move on to take on Morgan State on Monday night to wrap up the season long five game homestand. Tipoff from McDougald-McLendon Gym is set for 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 27.
Visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com or download the NCCU Sports Network app available in the App Store, Google Play and Amazon for the latest on NCCU Athletics.
Box Score
Chris Hooks, Assistant Sports Information Director/Broadcast Media Coordinator
COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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