NC Central upsets Savannah State, heads to MEAC Tournament semifinals

By slowing down the pace, the sixth-seeded North Carolina Central Eagles upset No. 3 seed Savannah State, 58-56, in the quarterfinal round of the MEAC Tournament.

With the win, N.C. Central will take on Morgan State at 8:00 p.m Friday night . The Bears knocked off second-seeded Bethune-Cookman earlier this week.

Savannah State, a team that scored 100 or more points 10 times this season, came into the contest as the top scoring team in the MEAC and the No. 2 scoring team in the country. But the Eagles' strategy was to melt the clock, take smart shots and keep the ball out of the Tigers' paws.

The format worked as Savannah State was held to a 56 points, the team's lowest point total since New Year's Eve, when Michigan State held the Tigers to 52. Senior center Raasean Davis finished with 16 points and 20 rebounds, while his classmate Pablo Rivas finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

NCCU defeated Morgan State 77-63 on Jan. 15 in Durham.

This story was originally published March 8, 2018 at 8:08 PM with the headline "NC Central upsets Savannah State, heads to MEAC Tournament semifinals."