NORFOLK, Va. – The run came as Delaware State knew it would. North Carolina Central had crept to within three points and had momentum with under seven minutes remaining.
It didn't matter because the sixth-seeded Hornets had freshman Deywilk Tavarez, who is as cool as a scoop of ice cream.
After taking the Eagles' best shot, Tavarez applied the knockout punch by scoring eight straight points in 97 scintillating seconds capped by a highlight-reel step-back 3-pointer as Delaware State pulled away to beat North Carolina Central, 71-58, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) men's basketball semifinal at the historic Scope Arena Friday night.
"This is a testament to the hard work and fortitude we have shown and demonstrated all year as a program," Delaware State head coach Stan Waterman said. "We just talked about it in the locker room that we've had more close games than anybody in the country. All that time we talked about making deposits that we'd be able to draw on later in the season and that has come to fruition for us the last two games."
In advancing to Saturday's MEAC championship game against Howard for the first time since 2015, Delaware State held its second consecutive opponent in this tournament under 60 points. The Hornets will be seeking their first MEAC tournament championship and the exclusive automatic bid to the NCAA tournament since 2005.
Delaware State also enjoyed a balanced scoring attack highlighted by Tavarez, who scored 14 of his game-high 20 points in the second half. In the two games of this tournament, Tavarez has scored 75 percent of his total points (37 of 49) after intermission.
Jevin Muniz added 16 points, Martaz Robinson finished with 12 points and Alston Andrews chipped in with 10 points for the balanced Hornets, who held North Carolina Central to 34 percent shooting for the game. Wesley Oba collected a game-high 15 rebounds.
"I know it's a cliché, but defense wins championships," Waterman said. "We haven't shot the ball well, but we've had opportunities because the team believed and trusted each other. Our defense has been the staple for us and that's been the key. Hard work pays off and they come to work every day to improve and get better."
While Delaware State's defense was at its stifling best again, it was nice to enjoy the luxury of a quick flurry of points during a 12-0 run that Tavarez started with a 3-pointer to transform a tense 50-47 edge into a comfortable 62-47 advantage with 3:57 remaining. Delaware State held North Carolina Central scoreless for a stretch of 3:05 as it expanded its lead.
Delaware State enjoyed the lead for 28 minutes of the contest. It took the lead for good following an Oba basket 59 seconds into the second half.
Delaware State's payback tour has reached its desired destination. It lost to South Carolina State and North Carolina Central twice during the regular season. The Hornets now have an opportunity to get even for a pair of losses to Howard.
"As a team, we try to approach it one game at a time, but again I'd be less than honest if I told you that each one of these young men in that locker room is not going to be satisfied to just be in the championship game," Waterman said. "Our goal is to win it. We've worked hard enough to put ourselves in that position and we just want to make sure we seize that opportunity."
"When I was hired three years ago, the first thing I did was pray to God and thank him for the opportunity to have a chance to impact this program and resurrect it. I promised God at the point that I would be sure to give him the glory, so all glory goes to God. I thank our athletics director and administration for their support because we're building something special."
