MEAC: Men’s Basketball Recap, Dec. 31
No. 1 Tennessee (SEC) def. Noroflk State – 67-52
N.C. Central def. St. Andrwe’s (Div. II) – 121-61
No. 1 Tennessee (SEC) def. Noroflk State – 67-52
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Norfolk State men’s basketball team held its own for 40 minutes against the top-ranked team in the nation on Tuesday afternoon, falling 67-52 to No. 1 Tennessee at the Food City Center.
Christian Ings led the Spartans (9-7) with 19 points and four assists, while Brian Moore Jr. added 18 points and five rebounds. Fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier paced the Volunteers (13-0) with 24 points, including six 3-pointers.
Tennessee scored the game’s first five points, but a pair of jumpers from Moore and Jalen Myers helped the Spartans stay within reach. The Volunteers began to gain separation with multiple successful 3-point attempts, but Kuluel Mading responded with back-to-back baskets in the paint.
Moore scored on consecutive possessions to trim Tennessee’s advantage to 18-12. The Volunteers moved the gap to double digits soon after, as Lanier started to heat up.
N.C. Central def. St. Andrwe’s (Div. II) – 121-61
DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University men’s basketball team bounced back into the win column defeating St. Andrews University 161-21 on Tuesday afternoon behind 8-of-11 shooting from redshirt senior guard Floyd Rideau Jr. who cashed in all of his field goals from beyond the arc for a career-high 26 points.
Many of Rideau’s passes came from junior guard Dionte Johnson who made history by tying Darnell Evan’s record from 1982 with 16 assists.
This new Division I era record by Johnson tops former guard Fred Cleveland Jr. who passed for 15 assists at Coppin State University last season.
NCCU improves to 7-10 this season completing its non-conference schedule.
By the half, the Maroon and Gray were up 71-18 sparked by a 14-0 run.
