South Carolina State ended its four-game losing skid, defeating MEAC leader North Carolina Central in a 71-68 contest on Saturday evening at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center. The Bulldogs went into halftime trailing 36-33 but outscored the Eagles by six points in the second half to come back and win.
Michael Teal led the scoring for South Carolina State with 17 points, while Raquan Brown added another 13. The Bulldogs put a particular emphasis on generating easy looks close to the hoop, shooting 21-of-39 on two-pointers, including 40 points scored in the paint. Efficiency metrics evaluated the offense at an average of 1.1 points scored per possession on 52% true shooting.
Offense was not the issue for the Eagles. They scored their 68 points on 48% shooting from the field. Ja’Darius Harris led the way, putting up 19 points to go along with five boards. Po’Boigh King also contributed, adding another 19 points.
- SC State’s bench outscored NCCU’s bench 54 to 13
- North Carolina Central recorded a new season-low four steals
- The game had five lead changes and three ties
Both teams take the floor again on Jan. 27. South Carolina State takes on conference rival Delaware State at Memorial Hall, where the Bulldogs will look for a repeat of their success here this evening. Meanwhile, North Carolina Central will try to rebound when they face struggling UMES at the Hytche Center.
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