N.C. Central men’s basketball team secured its third consecutive conference win, edging South Carolina State 82-77 last Saturday.
Behind strong performances from junior guards Po’Boigh King and Perry Smith Jr, and senior guard Keishon Porter, NCCU’s record improved to 10-12 overall and 3-2 in conference play.
The game was highly competitive, featuring 12 tied scores and 16 lead changes.
King led all scorers with 25 points in 36 minutes of play. He described the victory as a “good team win” and credited some of his performance to his coaches’ advice to “be aggressive and not second-guess yourself.”
NCCU ran an efficient offense, shooting 70.8% from the free-throw line. This played a pivotal role in the Eagles’ success, but a standout defensive performance from Smith was equally significant.
Tasked with guarding SCSU’s 6-foot-11 sophomore forward Drayton Jones, Smith limited Jones to just 13 points and a second half ejection.
“Drayton Jones is a problem, but we challenged Perry,” Eagles head coach LeVelle Moton said. “Shoutout to Perry. I’m proud of him.”
With this win, the Eagles move into third place in the conference standings.
NCCU will travel to Norfolk, Virginia on Feb. 3 to battle the first-place Norfolk State Spartans.