NCCU's strategy and drama defeat Howard

Ron Bailey, Publisher

The NCCU Eagles beneifited from good coaching and ironically bad sportsmanship to defeat Howard this evening.

February 5, 2011 - The second half of Howard and NC Central's game this evening was full of big plays, both positive and negative. At the final bell the Eagles defeated homestanding Howard University 79-70, before a packed crowd containing both partisans at Burr Gymnasium.

Late in the second half, the teams battling tooth and nail, NCCU incorporated a 2-3 matchup zone into its defense; for much of the game the Eagles had picked up the ball full court, backing that with a man-to-man formation. The change paid dividends.

"I thought we could play a little zone and throw them off a bit" shared head Eagle LeVelle Morton of the change. "They were getting a little rhythm on our man to man. On top of that we had some foul issues with our men in the post. It threw them off".

That indecision, coupled with continued solid corner shooting against Howard's 1-3-1 zone - something Morton indicated "we worked on" doing, and "in the second half we played inside out", thereby opening up those shots - allowed the Eagles to find themselves up 67-60, with the clock reading 3:47.

Junior guard Landon Clement shot the three pointer which created that NCCU six point lead. Also finishing with seven rebounds, six assists and only two turnovers, Clement was a thorn in Howard's side all evening.

Landon Clement pulls up from long distance.

That included the game's most controversial sequence: Giving his team a 70-66 lead after yet another three-ball, Howard called time out. Clement appeared to bump Dadrian Collins as the teams walked to their benches, contact that drove Collins to retaliate, with the teams ultimately facing off in front of the scorer's table.

Double technical fouls ensued, unfortunately for the Bison, as such situations bring the possession arrow into play; at that juncture it pointed toward NCCU, creating a lost possession for Howard as an end result. All of this occurred with less than 30 seconds to play.

"Emotions get the best of us sometimes, but its an embarrassment" said Morton, obviously disappointed such a great game was impacted in this way. "I'd just rather play hard, play smart, and play together and let the chips fall where they may, man. It's an unfortunate situation and I apologize on behalf of North Carolina Central University".

Freshman guard Anton Dickerson finished with a team-high 24 points Howard, while senior backcourt player Kyle Riley notched 15 points and eight assists. Collins, a sophomore forward had 13 points, while fellow second year student athlete Mike Phillips was responsible for 10 points and six rebounds.

Junior Eagle forward Nick Chasten reached the 20 point mark in scoring, to go along with five rebounds.
Senior guard C.J. Wilkerson also corralled a quintet of caroms for NCCU, adding 16 points and six assists as well.

The Bison, now 4-13 overall, 2-8 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference action, continue league play Monday, welcoming South Carolina State at 7p to Burr.

NCCU (11-10, 6-3) ventures out of MEAC play Monday, facing High Point on the road. Tip off is 7p.