North Carolina Central University

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     CHARLOTTE, NC - After three close CIAA quarterfinal games, the final contest featuring top seed Virginia Union and No. 8 seed North Carolina Central appeared to be a blowout in the making. But the Panthers held off a second-half Eagles rally for a 79-68 victory on Thursday at Charlotte Bobcats Arena. 
     Still, the 11-point victory was the largest of the four quarterfinal games, and the only contest Thursday decided by a double-digit margin. Chris Greene scored 19 points to lead five double-figure scorers for the Panthers, who held a 22-point lead four minutes into the second half on Steve Miller's dunk.
     But the Eagles slowly chipped away at the margin. A jumper by Steve Randolph cut the Panthers' lead to 74-68 with 1:24 remaining in the game. The Eagles had a chance to cut into the deficit even more but committed a critical turnover. They failed to get closer as Lakeith Blanks of the Panthers made two free throws in the final 12 seconds of the game which pushed the final score to double digits. Both Greg Thondique and Blanks added 13 points each, Brad Byerson had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Tim Young scored 10 points for the Panthers, who shot 57 percent including 70 percent in the second half but committed 26 turnovers for the game.
     "I'm happy with the win but disappointed in the way we played," Panthers' Head Coach Dave Robbins. "We have to be much better tomorrow to stay in the game with Saint Augustine's."
     Bryan Ayala scored 18 points, Chris Mayshack added 14 points and Drew Johnson pulled down 11 rebounds for the Eagles (13-15), who staged a late rally despite shooting 32 percent and being outscored 46-26 in the paint. The Panthers also made 28 of 43 free throws compared to 18 of 30 free throws for the Eagles.
     Despite the loss, NCCU Head Coach Henry Dickerson was proud of his squad. "If we had played the first half like the second half as far as energy, it could have been a different outcome," Dickerson said.
     Greene scored 12 first-half points to spark the Panthers, who pulled away late for a 29-20 halftime lead. Thondique added eight points and four rebounds as the Panthers limited the Eagles to 24 percent shooting while shooting 46 percent.
     Three players scored four points each for the Eagles, who stayed close most of the half despite frigid shooting. The score was tied 17-17 with 4:23 left but the Panthers staged a 12-3 run to end the half. During the spurt, the Panthers forced five Eagles' turnovers and Thondique scored all eight of his first-half points. The Panthers dominated in the paint, outscoring the Eagles 22-6. They also scored 14 points off 13 Eagles' turnovers.
     The Panthers started the second half with a 16-3 run to lead 45-23 with 15:59 left in the game. The lead stayed in double digits the majority of the half before the Eagles rallied in the end to make the game interesting.