Eugene, Ore. – In a contest that saw eight ties and 13 lead changes, a late second half run was all the Eagles of North Carolina Central needed to finish off the Panthers of Prairie View A&M 69-58 to end the 2011 Global Sports Hoops Showcase with a 2-1 record, giving the maroon and gray momentum heading into the holiday break.
Judging by the first 20 minutes of action it looked as if the first meeting between these two squads would go down to the wire with neither team holding a lead larger than six. In fact, there were seven ties and nine lead changes, but the swarming Eagle defense recorded four steals and forced 10 turnovers, which NCCU turned into 12 points in favor of the maroon and gray.
With 8:09 left in the first half and the game knotted up at 23, the Eagles made their best move going on a 6-0 earning their largest lead of the half at 29-23. The momentum of that rally was short-lived when the Panthers answered back with an 8-2 spurt to tie the game at 31 with 15 second left following a three-pointer by guard Tim Meadows.
NCCU took the lead at the half when junior Ray Willis was fouled in the act of shooting with 0.1 seconds left giving the Eagles a 33-31 lead.
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