North Carolina Central University

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     CHARLOTTE, NC - A matchup between the eighth and ninth seeded teams are usually close and dramatic games, and a first-round CIAA Tournament matchup between North Carolina Central University and Saint Paul's College on Wednesday followed the same pattern.
     The No. 8 seeded Eagles held on for a 75-74 victory on Chris Mayshack's 3-pointer with 37 seconds left, but they couldn't breath easy until Maurice Boatwright of the No. 9 seeded Tigers missed a three-pointer in closing seconds. 
     The Eagles (13-14 overall) can't celebrate long, however, as they meet Virginia Union, the top-seed and three-time defending CIAA champion, in the quarterfinals tonight at 9 p.m. The Tigers end their season at 11-17 overall but not before scaring the Eagles with a second-half rally.Down 57-39 with 14:36 left, the Tigers went on a 35-15 run to take a 74-72 lead with 49 seconds left on Jack Browne's free throw. After Browne missed the second free throw, Mayshack nailed a 3-pointer for a 75-74 Eagles' lead which held up after Boatwright's miss.
     "We are fortunate and blessed to win," NCCU head coach Henry Dickerson said. "Winning close games, that is what tournaments are all about."
     Jason Hervey scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead NCCU, which had four double-figure scorers. Mayshack added 18 points including 4 of 7 3-pointers, Drew Johnson scored 13 points and added nine rebounds and Bryan Ayala scored 11 points and dished out five assists.
     Though Boatwright missed the final shot, he keyed the Tigers' rally by making 5 of 8 3-pointers in the second half including four straight treys. Boatwright and Browne each scored 17 points to lead the Tigers, who also got 13 points and 6 assists from Antonio Hargrove.
     "I am very proud of my kids," Saint Paul's coach Edward "Buck" Joyner said. "Hats off to my kids who have played hard for me all year."  Led by Boatwright, the Tigers made 11 of 22 3-pointers but the Eagles made 18 of 23 free throws compared to 9 of 19 free throws for the Tigers.
     After leading 42-31 at halftime, the Eagles tried to put the game away early in the second half as their lead expanded to 57-39 with 14:36 left. The Tigers wouldn't go away, however, as the Eagles went scoreless for four minutes. After the Eagles' scoring drought, Boatwright nailed four straight 3-pointers. His first 3-pointer pulled the Tigers within 59-52 with 8:56 remaining. After two Hervey free throws, Boatwright then hit his second 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 61-55.
     Boatwright connected on his third 3-pointer to trim NCCU's lead to 65-59. His fourth 3-pointer cut the Tigers' deficit to 65-62. He finally missed a 3-pointer but Browne's follow shot pulled the Tigers within 65-64 with 4:28 left.
     Following an Ayala layup gave the Eagles a three-point lead, Boatwright made his fifth 3-pointer to tie the game at 67-67 which excited the Tigers' fans. But a three-point play by Johnson put the Eagles back ahead 70-67 at the 3:13 mark. Browne made a layup to cut NCCU's lead to 70-69, then the Tigers rebounded a miss and found Harvgrove for an easy layup for a 71-70 Tigers' lead with 2:22 left. It was the Tigers' first lead since early in the first half. Browne's layup extended the lead to 73-70 but after a Tigers' turnover, Ayala made a layup for a 73-72 Tigers lead with 1:06 left.
     Browne made one free throw for a 74-72 Tigers' lead with 49 seconds left, but Mayshack hit the game-winning 3-pointer. The Eagles then forced a loose ball which Ayala picked up. He was fouled with 23 seconds left but missed both free throws. The Tigers rebounded and called timeout, but Mayshack misfired before the horn sounded.
     Sparked by the scoring of Mayshack and Johnson, the Eagles spurted late in the first half to open a 42-31 halftime lead. Mayshack scored 12 first-half points including seven points in the final 2:38 to help the Eagles expand a 29-26 lead to an 11-point halftime margin. Johnson added 10 points and five rebounds and Hervey chipped in nine points for the Eagles, who shot an astounding 63 percent from the floor including 50 percent behind the 3-point arc.
     Despite trailing most of the first half, the Tigers stayed within striking distance behind six first-half points each from Hargrove and Browne. After falling behind early, the Tigers gained their first lead at 11-10 on Browne's jumper with 12:21 on the clock. The margin grew to five points but the Eagles regained the lead at 18-17 with 7:52 left on two Mayshack free throws. The Eagles then led by as much as eight points but the Tigers sliced it to three points on three occasions, the last time at 34-31 on Hargrove's 3-pointer with two minutes left. But the Eagles scored the last eight points for a double-digit lead at halftime.
     The Tigers shot 39 percent from the floor in the first half but shot 44 percent from behind the 3-point line. The Eagles, however, made 14 of 15 free throws compared to 3 of 9 for the Tigers which helped NCCU build a halftime lead. .