Durham, N.C. (Jan. 26, 2015) --- First place North Carolina Central got the help it needed to extend its home court win streak to 31 games. Delaware State's Amere May missed two-of-three free throws with 0.4 seconds left to play to allow the defending MEAC champion Eagles to escape with a 55-54 victory over the Hornets in a nationally televised contest (ESPNU) at McDougald-McLendon Gym  this evening.
NC Central trailed by as many as eight points in the second half, but pulled ahead 54-53 when Anthony McDonald nailed a three-pointer from the right corner with 27 seconds remaining in the game.
After a Delaware State timeout, May misfired on a 17-foot jumper with seven seconds left. The Eagles took possession after the ball went out of bounds in the battle for the rebound.
The Hornets immediately committed a foul with 4.4 seconds on the clock. NCCU's Donte Holmes gave the Eagles a 55-53 lead after hitting the first free throw, but he missed the second.
Delaware State's Kendall Gray rebounded the ball and quickly passed to May, who sprinted up court and attempted a long three-pointer that hit off the rim as time expired. NC Central players and their fans were celebrating and unaware that the officials called a foul on Eagle guard Nimrod Hilliard on May's three-point attempt.
Zero-point-four seconds were put back on the clock and May was sent to the line for three shots with the Hornets down two. He hit the first free throw to cut NCCU's lead to 55-54. His second shot hit off the back off the rim, so he needed to hit the third shot to tie and game and force overtime. The third shot was also off and time expired as the ball fell to the floor, setting off another NC Central celebration. May, an 83% free throw shooter entering the game, was seven-for-seven at the line in the contest before missing the last two attempts.
"We had our chances, but couldn't pull it out in the end," said May. "I felt we were going to win after I was fouled because I'm usually good at the line."
Delaware State head coach Keith Walker felt his team had its chances to win the hard fought contest.
"This was an exciting game between two good MEAC teams," Walker said. "We had our opportunities but came up short at the end. The guys are a little down right now, but I'm confident we'll bounce back."
The loss snapped DSU's four-game win streak and dropped its record to 10-10 overall and 4-2 in the MEAC.
NC Central won its 10th straight game to improve to 16-5 and 8-0. The Eagles' 31 consecutive home court wins is the third longest active streak in Division I.
The loss also overshadowed a milestone or Delaware State forward Tyshawn Bell, who scored a team-high 13 points to surpass the 1,000-point mark with the Hornets. He reached 1,001 career points on a three-pointer to give DSU a 53-51 lead with 1:47 left to play.
May added 12 points, but hit just two-of-13 shots from the floor. Gray led all players with 11 rebounds, his eighth straight game and 14th of the season with double-figure boards.
"I don't want to say we gave the game away, but we made some mental mistakes that contributed to the loss," said Gray. "It's tough, but I'm sure we'll put this behind us and move forward to the next game."
McDonald led NCCU with a game-high 23 points, highlighted by four three-point field goals and nine-of-10 shooting at the free throw line. Hilliard added 13 points and a game-high five assists for the Eagles.
Delaware State trailed by as many as six in the first half, but May nailed a three-ball at the first half buzzer to give the Hornets a 29-27 lead at the break.
DSU opened up the biggest lead of the game, 43-35, on a three-pointer by Kavon Waller with 9:54 left to play.
The Eagles responded with a 9-0 run, and pulled ahead 44-43 on two free throws by McDonald with 5:28 showing on the second half clock.
Delaware State was plagued by poor shooting in the game. The Hornets were just 18-of-56 from the field (32.1%), including six-of-21 from three-point territory (28.6%).
NC Central shot 37.2% for the game (16-for-43) and 23.1% from beyond the arc (six-for-26).
The Eagles won the rebound battle 37-34, but had 18 turnovers. The Hornets turned the ball over 12 times.
DSU is back on the road for its next game this Saturday (Jan. 31) at South Carolina State. Game time is 6 p.m. in Orangeburg, S.C.
