Durham, N.C. (Feb. 19, 2022) --- Delaware State led by 12 points with less than five minutes to play in regulation, but failed to hold on in a crushing 84-79 overtime loss to North Carolina Central in a MEAC thriller at McDouglad-McLendon Arena today.
The Hornets led 73-70 when NCCU's Justin Wright nailed a three-pointer with 3.1 seconds left in the second half to force the extra period.
Delaware State was ahead 79-77 after a basket by John Stansbury with 2:07 left in overtime, but the Eagles scored the last seven points to complete the comeback win.
Marque Maultsby hit a three-pointer to give North Carolina Central an 80-79 lead with 1:12 to go in OT.
The Hornets missed two shots and committed a turnover on their final three possessions, while Wright hit four free throws in the final 48 seconds to seal the win for the Eagles.
North Carolina Central completed a three-game sweep of Delaware State this season to extend its current win streak to four, while the Hornets dropped their 19^th straight game.
Delaware State was outscored 11-6 in the overtime period.
The loss overshadowed a stellar performance by swingman John Stansbury, who scored a career-high 26 points to lead the Hornets. Stansbury was eight-for-12 from the field, including three three-pointers on four attempts, and seven-for-nine at the free throw line.
Myles Carter was second on the Hornets with 22 points to raise his career total to 981 and season average to 15.6 points per game. Carter also led all players with 12 rebounds in the contest to record his second double-double of the season.
Dominik Fragala came off the bench to tally 14 points for the Hornets. His performance was highlighted by three three-pointers, giving him six in the last two games.
Wright was the leading scorer for North Carolina Central with a game-high 32 points.
Delaware State led by as many as eight points in the first half and was ahead 31-27 at the break.
The Hornets shot 43.3% from the field in the game, connecting on 26 of their 60 shots, including seven of 20 on three-point shots (35%).
Delaware State hit 20 of 26 free throw attempts (76.9%), although three of the misses were in the last 43 seconds of regulation.
North Carolina Central was 26 for 65 from the field (40%), including 11-of-32 from beyond the arc (34.4%).  The Eagles were 21 for 31 at the free throw line (67.7%).
NCCU won the rebound battle 42-39.
The Hornets return to action on Mon. (Feb. 21) at South Carolina State before returning home to face Morgan State next Saturday (Feb. 26) at 4:00 p.m.