HIGH POINT, N.C. – Junior Po’Boigh King led the North Carolina Central University men’s basketball team with 22 points in Tuesday’s 76-60 loss at High Point University. Head coach LeVelle Moton only played eight players as part of his roster was sidelined with injury.
NCCU (0-3) started the game at the free throw line as King scored the first four points. A jumper from senior Keishon Porter and an and-one bucket from King made it a 12-9 game after the first media timeout.
The Eagles kept the game within 10 points until 5:45 left in the half as the Panthers began to distance themselves.
High Point ended the first half up 39-21 with King and senior Timmy Adedire leading NC Central in scoring with nine and four points, respectively. The difference was a 14-6 paint point and 10-2 second chance points advantage for the Panthers.
With a fresh 20 minutes on the clock, NCCU came out with energy and started to lock in defensively leading to steals. Four straight points from Porter, two buckets from Perry Smith Jr. and a couple of acrobatic finishes from King, forced HPU’s head coach Alan Huss to call a timeout before the first media stoppage with a score of 45-33 in the Panthers’ favor.
The two teams traded shots as a layup from junior Dionte Johnson brought the score within ten with 13:16 remaining.
The Panthers never let their foot off the gas, extending the lead and ultimately winning the game 76-60.
High Point’s Kezza Giffa led all scorers with 24 points.
Coming into the game, HPU was ranked 14th in the nation in three-point percentage at 46.2 percent. NCCU held the Panthers to 40 percent from beyond the arc.
The Eagles will spend the weekend at the Rock Hill Classic in South Carolina playing Georgia Southern (Nov. 15), William & Mary (Nov. 16) and Winthrop (Nov. 17).
Source: NCCU Athletics/NCCUEaglePride.com
