NC Central tops SC State for ninth consecutive win
S.C. State had N.C. Central’s attention, especially guards Edward Stephens and Eric Eaves.
What the Eagles had was Pat Cole. Along with help from Del’Vin Dickerson and Kyle Benton, Cole, the second leading scorer in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, led N.C. Central to its ninth consecutive win, 85-62, over the Bulldogs.
S.C. State was projected to finish second in the league, one spot above the Eagles, before the season. That wasn’t lost on N.C. Central, at least not the players. Head coach LeVelle Moton said preseason polls don’t mean a lot. Cole, Moton’s senior leader, knows it was big to knock off this team.
“It’s always important to get a win against a team that’s predicted to finish second in the conference,” Cole said. “Those predictions don’t come from nowhere. Any time a team is picked second you know they have something. You know that team is more than capable of beating you by 20.”
The Bulldogs never led, and trailed the Eagles (18-6, 9-1 MEAC) by double digits the entire second half, even though at times the game felt much closer. It never felt like N.C. Central was in complete control until it turned a 14-point lead into a 21-point margin in just a few quick possessions.
Ahead 63-48 midway through the second, Dickerson (20 points, 8 rebounds) and Cole (game-high 27 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds) put the team on their backs. Dickerson started the run with a free throw and added a dunk, followed by a layup a few possessions later. Cole hit two from the foul line, and Ron Trapps knocked down a triple, followed by a Dajuan Graf layup to finally seize control. On both of Dickerson’s field goals it was Cole who had the assist.
During that same spurt the Bulldogs (7-17, 4-7) turned the ball over three times and went 2-for-4 from the field.
“At home that’s critical because it gives you somewhat of a cushion,” Moton said. “Anytime you can get some separation it gives you a cushion and confidence. I thought we played with confidence. We didn’t shoot the basketball great, but we attacked and we shot well from the free-throw line.”
The Eagles went 18-for-20 (90 percent) from the foul line. And the word Moton used – aggressive – was the same term his two seniors used when talking about the win over the Bulldogs.
“Coach Moton stays on us hard about staying aggressive,” Dickerson said. “We take pride in playing defense. We just lock up and out defense turns into offense. If we get a couple of stops we can get easy buckets.”
Cole, who flirted with his second-career triple-double, stated that he wanted to be aggressive from the start, remembering how the Bulldogs took it to them a year ago in Orangeburg. He was determined not to let that happen again. Cole had 15 at the half, taking it right to the Bulldogs’ defense with a series of dribble drives, short jumpers and the occasional long-range bomb.
“Coach puts me in positions to attack and he always talks about getting to the basket,” Cole said. “Being aggressive is what I had to do tonight. Starting the game I tried to set that tempo by attacking and getting dropoffs, attacking and getting the ball up on the glass. You could say I was pretty much more aggressive than I normally am.”
Stephens (15) and Eaves (13) led the Bulldogs, but it was too little too late. S.C. State shot 55 percent from the floor in the second half – way too high according to Moton – but only got as close as 13 in the second half. Even though at times it felt closer.
“It always feels like a one-point game,” Moton said. “I coach to the very end, I don’t care if we’re up 30 or whatever, I’m going to coach to the very end because there are always lessons to be learned in the game.”
What Moton did learn is when all his guards don’t have their typical big nights, he can rely on Dickerson and Benton (12 points) to pick up the slack.
“That’s what it’s about, next man up,” Moton said. “Dajuan (Graf) has carried us many nights, and honestly, I’ll take this from him because this is great production.”
Graf finished with 11 points and four assists. Not a normal night at the office, but a chance for the Eagles to show how versatile they are.
“We have a lot of experience,” Dickerson said. “I feel like our team is well-balanced, anyone can get it going any night.”
NCCU women win
In the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, the NCCU women came alive in the second half to defeat S.C. State 52-41.
Eagles’ guard Morgan Jones did what seniors are supposed to do in the third quarter – take over.
Jones scored a game-high 19 after catching fire in the second half. Jones got off to a hot start, scoring five points in the first quarter, but went 0-for-4 from the field in the second quarter, then came out in attack mode after halftime.
“You get that instinct being a senior,” Jones said. “Everyone is looking for you to initiate that, so that’s what I had to come out and do.”
Jones scored 12 points in the third, giving the Eagles (5-17, 4-6 MEAC) their first lead of the second half, 27-26, after a pair of free throws. It was N.C. Central’s first lead since the 5:28 mark of the opening quarter. After a steal, Jada Blow found Jones on the break for a layup. Jones scored again on the next three possession, including back-to-back 3s, putting N.C. Central ahead 37-29.
At times when the Eagles looked confused on offense, the solution was pretty simple – get the ball to Jones, the hot hand. Even though she ended the third 0-for-3 from the field, her scoring, and energy, became contagious as the rest of the team followed her lead.
“I wanted do anything that was necessary for the team,” Jones said. “Defense-wise, shooting-wise. I just wanted to pick the team up.”
Jones’ 14 third-quarter points were more than they two teams combined for in the second quarter, when the Bulldogs outscored the Eagles 7-5.
Behind Jones, N.C. Central won the third, where they’ve struggled this season, outscoring SCSU (5-17, 2-9) 22-7.
This story was originally published February 11, 2017 at 8:32 PM with the headline "NC Central tops SC State for ninth consecutive win."