title image via Kevin L. Dorsey
Courtesy of North Carolina Central Athletics
65
Winner NCCU
57
UMES
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCCU | 47 | 18 | 65 |
| UMES | 27 | 30 | 57 |
The North Carolina Central University men’s basketball team defeated the University of Maryland Eastern Shore 65-57 on Saturday evening. Redshirt senior Ja’Darius Harrisscored a game-high 21 points and sophomore Po’Boigh King also finished in double figures with 12 points. Both Eagles grabbed eight rebounds.
Senior Cleveland, Harris and King remained in the starting lineup for the Eagles at UMES. Junior Devin Gordon returned to the starting lineup after missing action at South Carolina State University last weekend. Sophomore Perry Smith Jr. also made his sixth start of the season on Saturday.
NCCU (11-8, 3-1 MEAC) looked very comfortable in the first half in both transition and halfcourt offense. The Eagles were ahead of the Hawks 27-19 at the 8-minute media timeout.
NC Central would then stretch that lead to 20 points as the Eagles finished the half up 47-27. Harris and Cleveland each had nine points and King scored 10 and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the field through the first 20 minutes. The team combined for 48.4 percent from the floor.
UMES (5-13, 1-4 MEAC) opened the second half on a 7-0 run before Harris scored the first points for the Eagles under the 15-minute mark. NCCU struggled from the field while Maryland Eastern Shore was able to pull within six points on four separate occasions.
The Hawks outscored NC Central 30-18 in the second half. Harris would help ice the game from the free throw line going 13-of-14 in the game, with nine makes coming in the last 20 minutes. NCCU also outrebounded UMES 42-34 as Cleveland had a game-high nine rebounds.
Elijah Wilson of UMES finished with a team-high 15 points in 21 minutes.
The Eagles have one more stop to make on their road trip as they head to Delaware State University to take on the Hornets on Monday, Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m.
Next Game: at Delaware State 1/29/2024 | 7:30 PM
Team Statistics
| Game Stats | NCCU | UMES |
|---|---|---|
| FG% | .328 | .392 |
| 3FG% | .381 | .176 |
| FT% | .864 | .737 |
| RB | 42 | 34 |
| TO | 12 | 14 |
| STL | 8 | 5 |
