Dover, Del. (Jan. 11, 2020) --- John Crosby nailed a 15-foot elbow jumper as time expired to give Delaware State a dramatic 68-66 victory over MEAC champ North Carolina Central in Memorial Hall today. The score was 66-66 after NCCU's Devan Palmer hit one-of-two free throws with 5.4 seconds left to play. After a Hornet timeout, Crosby took the inbound pass and dribbled nearly the length of the court under pressure before pulling up for the shot and getting mobbed by his team mates after the ball went through the net.
"I felt good coming down the court and hoping there would be enough time to get a shot off," said Crosby, who led DSU with 18 points on eight-for-14 shooting from the field despite battling foul trouble for much of the game. "It's great to get this win because we've been working really hard and falling short this season. Hopefully, this win will give us some momentum as we go forward. The MEAC season is still early and there's a long way to go."
The win snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Hornets and also marked their first win against a Division I opponent this season. DSU also ended a six-game losing streak against North Carolina Central.
Crosby's game-winning shot also capped off a furious comeback by the Hornets, who trailed 57-44 after a basket by NCCU's Ty Graves at the 11:10 mark of the second half.
The Eagles led 44-29 at the break and held a 47-32 when Jibri Blount hit a three-pointer early in the second half.
The Hornets began their late rally with Crosby in-and-out of the game with four fouls. DSU used an 11-2 run during a three-minute stretch of the second half to pull within striking distance.
Fahim Jenetto capped off the spurt with two free throws to cut the Eagles' lead to 59-55 with 7:42 left to play.
After NCCU pulled ahead 61-55,   Myles Carter scored on a fast break basket and a three-pointer to cut the deficit to one, and Pinky Wiley hit one of the two free throws to tied the score at 61 with 4:11 remaining.
The Eagles led 65-61 when Crosby converted an old fashioned three-point play on a basket and free throw to cut DSU's deficit to one (65-64)  with 1:35 left.
Delaware State took the lead for the first time in the second half, 66-65, when Carter hit an off balanced shot in the lane with 43 ticks remaining.
"I'm so proud of the guys for their effort and determination after falling behind against the best in our league," said Delaware State second year head coach Eric Skeeters. "We've been in a couple of close games this year and came up short, so it's huge that the guys found a way scratch out this win. I also want to credit our fans for staying behind the guys and encouraging us on to this win.
Delaware State outscored NCCU 39-22 in the second half. After shooting just 34.5% in the first half (10-for-29), the Hornets improved to 48.1% in the final 20 minutes (13-for-27).

Freshman J.T. Stansbury was second on the Hornets with 15 points on five-for-eight shooting from the field (1-3 3pt. FG) and four-of-four at the free throw line.
Ameer Bennett added 11 points and Carter contributed 10 for DSU. Bennett also had a team-high six rebounds. 
Crosby's is the MEAC's top scorer at 21.8 points per game. He's was ninth-best among all NCAA Div. I players prior to today's game.

NCCU's Blount led all players with 26 points and 13 rebounds.
Delaware State improved to 1-1 in the MEAC and 2-14 overall this season, while the Eagles fell to 1-1 and 5-11.
The Hornets wrap up a three-game home stand against North Carolina A&T on Monday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Memorial Hall.