DSU Reaches MEAC Tournament championship game
Delaware State has reached the MEAC Tournament championship game for the first time since 2007 with a come-from-behind 63-57 win over defending conference champ and top seed North Carolina Central in a thrilling semifinal contest at the Scope Arena this evening.
The Hornets will face No. 6 Hampton, a 75-64 winner over No. 2 Norfolk State, in the championship game on Saturday at 1 p.m. The game will be televised live on ESPN2.
Delaware State will be seeking its second MEAC championship. The Hornets won their only title and NCAA Tournament berth in 2005.
Amere May scored a game-high 27 points, including 24 in the second half, to lead the Hornets in the semifinal contest. May was six-for-13 from the field, including three-of-six on three-point shots; and 9-for-10 at the free throw line in the final 20 minutes.
Tyshawn Bell was second on the team with 16 points, highlighted by 14 in the first half to keep the Hornets within striking distance.
Delaware State trailed 32-23 at the break, and fell behind by 13 points after the Eagles hit their first two shots of the second half. Nimrod Hilliard gave NCCU its biggest lead, 36-23, on a lay-up with 18:53 left to play. Hilliard led the Eagles with 17 points and had a game-high seven assists.
“I couldn’t be more proud of my guys for the way they kept their poise down the stretch,” said Delaware State head coach Keith Walker, who has led the Hornets to a season-high five-game win streak to improve their overall record to 18-16.
“NC Central is a great team and defending conference champ, but we lost a close game at its place during the regular season, which gave us hope that we can come back.”
The Hornets chipped away at the deficit over the next 15 minutes. May hit back-to-back three-pointers, the second of which pulled Delaware State to within 43-37 with 11:49 left to play.
DSU trailed 51-43 before beginning a run to tie the score for the first time since it was 7-7 three-minutes-and-16 seconds into the game.
May capped off a 10-2 run with a three-pointer to tie the score at 53 with 3:24 left to play. May scored six points, while Bell and Kendall Gray had two each during the rally.
After NC Central regained the lead on two free throws by Jordan Parks (14 points), May nailed a short jumper and hit two free throws on DSUs’ next possession to put the Hornets ahead 57-55 with 1:45 remaining in the game. It was their first lead since scoring 4-0 to begin the game.
NC Central went without a field goal in the final 7:14 of the contest. The Eagles also committed several turnovers down the stretch to hurt their cause.
Delaware State back-up center Mrdjan Gasevic forced a NCCU turnover by drawing a charge on Dante Holmes (11 points) with 22 seconds left. Gasevic also scored four points (2-3 FGs) and grabbed two rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench.
May hit was six-for-six at the line in the final 1:02 of the game to secure the win.
“Mrdjan (Gasevic) not only brought a lot energy to the team, but some great production as well,” Walker said. Our seniors also led the comeback, and they earned this opportunity to play or the championship.”
The Hornets outscored the Eagles 40-25 in the second half.
Photos by Carlos Holmes