shanf@hpe.com; 336-888-3526
HIGH POINT -- N.C. Central survived one half of miscues and poor shooting Tuesday night, but the Eagles could not handle two.
After trailing High Point University just 30-26 at halftime, NCCU fell 70-58 for its fourth straight defeat.
The game turned on a 12-3 run midway through the second half that saw the Eagles misfire on shot after shot and struggle at times to get the ball inbound.
"We had what I call 'unforced' turnovers and that's been our M.O.," NCCU coach LeVelle Moton said. "I think that just comes with lack of depth. These kids are playing a lot of minutes and the mind and the body work in funny ways. The body gets tired and sometimes the mind goes.
"That three-minute run where they kind of broke it open, we did some things that were anti-North Carolina Central. To their credit, they capitalized."
Corey Law opened the second half with a slam that thrilled the Millis Center crowd of 918, but the Panthers failed to pull away until much later. Jairus Simms, one of four Panthers in double figures with 10 points, broke through with back-to-back 3-pointers that lifted HPU to a 54-40 advantage with 7:48 remaining.
Cruz Daniels, the Panthers' 6-11 center, helped lead HPU's defensive charge with three blocks and 13 rebounds to go along with 12 points, while Nick Barbour -- a 6-2 guard -- had four blocks and a steal. Barbour scored 10 points and Eugene Harris added 14 for the Panthers (5-6).
"I still felt good about the way we were playing," HPU first-year coach Scott Cherry, a former North Carolina player, said of the first half. "Offensively, we weren't as good -- we really just needed to get the ball reversed and take care of the ball, which we did for the most part in the second half."
The Eagles' leading scorer, junior guard C.J. Wilkerson, enjoyed another big night with 16 points but headed to the bench after picking up a fifth foul with 6:26 to play. NCCU (2-11) pulled to within 10 points in the waning moments but never threatened after High Point's run.
Nick Chasten added 20 points and point guard Michael Glasker tallied 11 for NCCU, but the Eagles' offense struggled in shooting 16-of-57 from the field.
"Defensively, I'm really excited about my guys," Cherry said. "You hold a team to 29 percent from the field -- against any Division I team, that's a tremendous effort."
Moton got a glimpse of at least some help for his team when P.J. Taylor made his debut for the Eagles. The junior guard, eligible at the semester break after transferring from a junior college, played 11 minutes and scored three points despite having just two practices with the team.
Taylor's debut actually came in his hometown. He was a 1,000-point scorer for Southwest Guilford High School -- but did have one glitch in his attempt to play in front of a number of home fans.
When Moton called for Taylor to sub in just three minutes into the game, the guard ran to the scorer's table -- but saw his warmup jersey get tangled with his uniform as he tried to shed the garment to enter the game.
An impatient official waved off the entry, saying the player wasn't ready, prompting Moton to exclaim, "No, no, that's a wardrobe malfunction!" -- much to the delight of the Eagles' fans behind the bench. Taylor entered at the next stoppage.
The Eagles return to action Sunday at East Carolina at 3 p.m. Their next home game comes Jan. 11 against High Point.
