NORFOLK, Virginia – North Carolina Central University controlled the Bison Of Howard University from one end of the floor to the other en route to a 92-46 blowout win in quarterfinal round action of the 2014 MEAC Basketball Tournament on Wednesday night from the Norfolk Scope Arena. With the win, the Eagles advance to the semifinal round for the first-time since rejoining the conference.
A 12-2 start for the maroon and gray was only the beginning for the regular season champs as head coach LeVelle Moton and his squad led by 26 points at 43-17 with 2:49 to go following a Jeremy Ingram (Charlotte, N.C.) layup, forcing Howard head coach Kevin Nickelberry to call a much-needed timeout.
Ingram was scorching hot from the tipoff as the MEAC's Player of the Year started the game 7-for-8 from-the-field that included 3-of-4 from-downtown as he scored 21 points in the first half. In fact, NCCU shot 15-for-21 (71.4 percent) missing just six shots while the Bison made just five field goals shooting 21.7 percent from-the-field.
HU went the final 6:15 of the half without a field goal. It wasn't until the 15:57 mark of the final frame when Oliver Ellison broke the drought that lasted more than 10 minutes as the Eagles stretched the advantage to as many as 48 points on the way to the big win for the maroon and gray.
Ingram finished the night with 30 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including a 5-for-6 effort from three-point range, which marked the sixth time in his career scoring 30 or more points in a game, the fifth this season. Not to be forgotten, Alfonzo Houston (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) added 13 points, six rebounds, and three assists, while Jay Copeland (Suffolk, Va.) contributed 11 points and grabbed six rebounds in the win.
Howard (8-25) finished the game shooting 23.9 percent from-the-field (11-for-46), including 2-for-13 from three-point range. MEAC Rookie of the Year James Daniel struggled mightily going 3-for-15 on the night, 1-for-7 from deep, while going 8-for-10 from the foul line to end the night with 15 points. Daniel was the lone HU player in double-figures.
NCCU (26-5) has now won 18-straight games and will await the winner of the No. 4 seed Norfolk State against No. 5 seed Savannah State matchup on Friday night, March 14 at 6:00 p.m. in semifinal round action of the MEAC Tournament.
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
No comments:
Post a Comment