SC State Bests NCCU Despite Boone’s Career-Night

ORANGEBURG, S.C. – North Carolina Central University’s men’s basketball program saw South Carolina State string together a late run in the final five minutes, and that allowed the Bulldogs to pick up a 74-68 win on Monday, Feb. 7 at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.

NCCU (10-11, 4-2 MEAC) and SCSU (12-11, 4-3 MEAC) played a hard-fought first half of basketball, as both teams consistently answered each other with baskets on both ends of the floor. Eric Boone (Lexington, Ky.) was electric in the first half with 12 points, but the Bulldogs were able to grab and hold on to a narrow lead in the final stages of the first 20 minutes. SCSU was able to stretch that lead out to five points and held a 34-29 advantage after the first half.

The second half played out very similarly to the first, with both teams sticking closely together, but the Bulldogs were able to find a late run to provide some separation from the Eagles. SCSU got some clutch buckets down the stretch from Omar Croskey (Sumter, S.C.), and Rahsaan Edwards (Charles Town, W. Va.) that allowed the Bulldogs to come away with the 74-68 win.

Boone finished with a season-best, and game-high 28 points with eight rebounds for NCCU, and went 4-for-4 from the arc to generate the highest point total for an Eagle so far this year. Randy Miller Jr. (Odenton, Md.) put in 11 points, followed by Marque Maultsby (Raleigh, N.C.) with nine points, and Kris Monroe (Raleigh, N.C.) with five points and six rebounds.

TJ Madlock (Memphis, Tenn.) led SCSU to the win with 20 points, and Edwards was close behind with 17 points. Edward Hampton-Oliver (Palmer Park, Md.) graved a team-high seven boards with 12 points for the Bulldogs, and Croskey chipped in 11 points.

NCCU will return home to host Warren Wilson on Thursday, Feb. 10 at 6:00 p.m. inside McDougald-McLendon Arena.