NC Central Force Overtime, Fall To Norfolk State in MEAC Semifinals

NORFOLK, Va. – North Carolina Central University junior guard Justin Wright drained a 3-pointer with one second left in regulation to force overtime, but Norfolk State University held on for a 72-65 victory in the MEAC Men’s Basketball Tournament semifinals at the Norfolk Scope Arena on Friday night.

Norfolk State (22-10) jumped out to a 9-0 lead as the Eagles did not score for more than eight minutes into the contest. NCCU guard Fred Cleveland Jr. ended the drought with a 3-pointer at the 11:33 mark.

The Spartans expanded their advantage to 11 points, 22-11, at 3:09, but another 3-pointer by Cleveland and back-to-back triples by senior forward Kris Monroe provided NCCU with a 9-0 run to end the first half with Norfolk State clinging to a 22-20 lead.

The Eagles opened the second half with a 9-4 spurt to take a 29-26 advantage at 15:56.

NSU answered by scoring 13 unanswered points for a 10-point cushion, 39-29, with 11:32 remaining.

NC Central steadily chipped away at the deficit, setting up Wright’s heroic 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds on the clock to tie the game at 58-58 heading into overtime.

The Spartans started the extra session with a 6-1 run and never relinquished the lead.

Wright finished with 13 points, along with team-highs of seven rebounds and four assists for the Eagles. Monroe also registered 13 points, while Cleveland and Eric Boone contributed 11 points each for NCCU (18-12).

NSU senior guard Joe Bryant posted a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds, scoring 15 points from the charity stripe. In all, the Spartans made 32-of-39 free throws, compared to NC Central’s 13-of-18 from the foul line.