Dec. 8, 2007

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DURHAM, N.C. - North Carolina Central University sophomore Jori Nwachukwu broke the Lady Eagle Classic single-game record with a career-high 35 points to lead her squad to a come-from-behind 95-82 victory over Fayetteville State University during the 11th annual event inside McLendon-McDougald Gymnasium in Durham, N.C. on Saturday.

NCCU (1-11) won its first game in its first year as a Division I program, while Fayetteville State (5-1) suffered its first loss of the season.

The visiting Lady Broncos held an 11-point cushion after a basket by Jamara McMillan at 10:29 of the second half, making the score 63-52.

The Lady Eagles rallied with 12 unanswered points to take a 64-63 lead on a layup by Tonia Roundtree with 7:36 left to play.

There were five ties and six lead changes over the next five minutes before Roundtree's layup made the score 78-77 at 2:28 to put NCCU on top for good.

In all, NCCU out-scored the Lady Broncos 43-19 during the final 10 minutes of the contest, with Nwachukwu netting 13 points during that time span.

In addition to her classic record 35 points, Nwachukwu finished with seven rebounds, three steals and two assists to earn the Lady Eagle Classic Most Valuable Player award. NCCU sharp-shooter Jennifer Hukill scored a season-high 21 points to capture a spot on the All-Classic Team, while Roundtree also posted a season-high with 17 points to go along with seven assists.

FSU's McMillan scored a team-best 18 points to claim All-Classic Team honors, while L'Oreal Price added 17 points and Leticia Dickson 14 points for the Lady Broncos.

NCCU blistered the nets by shooting 58.5 percent (31-for-53) from the field, including 54.5 percent (6-of-11) from three-point range, and 81.8 percent (27-for-33) from the free throw line.

In Saturday's first contest, Barton College sophomore guard Esty Flores first broke the classic record by scoring a career-high 33 points to spark the Lady Bulldogs to a 73-70 victory over Elizabeth City State University.

Barton (3-4) trailed by 21 points with the score 62-41 at the 10:17 mark of the second half, when the Lady Bulldogs went on a 24-2 run to take a 65-64 lead on a layup by Flores with 5:02 on the clock. Flores, who was selected to the All-Classic Team, had 14 points during the five-minute run.

ECSU (4-3) responded by going ahead 70-68 on a layup by Cheniece Arthur with 33 seconds left. However, after a Barton timeout, Lady Bulldog rookie guard Casey Moore caught the pass behind a double screen and banked in a 25-foot three-pointer to give her team a 71-70 lead with 20 seconds on the clock.

With six second left, ECSU senior Celeste Trahan stepped to the foul line with two shots and the chance to give the Lady Vikings the lead. After Trahan missed the first attempt, teammate Joyce Freeman stepped in the lane before her second shot for a violation.

Flores hit a pair of clutch free throws for a three-point advantage, and a desperation three-point attempt by ECSU missed the mark at the buzzer.

Trahan rounded out the All-Classic Team after amassing 28 points and 18 rebounds for the Lady Vikings.

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The Brodie and Keith Lady Eagle Classic ALL-CLASSIC TEAM

Esty Flores, Barton

Celeste Trahan, ECSU

Jamara McMillan, FSU

Jennifer Hukill, NCCU

Jori Nwachukwu, NCCU (MVP)

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THE HERALD-SUN NEWSPAPER: Wild run at the end helps N.C. Central top Fayetteville St.

By MIKE POTTER : The Herald-Sun (mpotter@heraldsun.com)

Dec 9, 2007

DURHAM -- Take that goose egg off the board.

N.C. Central finally got its first victory of the women's basketball season on Saturday, scoring 43 points over the final 9:52 to blow past old CIAA rival Fayetteville State 95-82 in the final round of the Lady Eagle Classic at McLendon-McDougald Gym.

Jori Nwachukwu poured in a career-high and tournament record 35 points to earn tournament MVP honors, while fellow all-tournament team member Jennifer Hukill added a season-high 21 points and Northern High alumna Tonia Roundtree chipped in a career-high 17.

NCCU, playing in its first season in the NCAA's top division, had been the only Division I team in the country with an 0-11 record before breaking the slide and setting off a happy post-game celebration.

Riverside High alumna Jamara McMillan, who was also on the all-tournament team, led FSU (5-1) with 18 points while L'Oreal Price added 17 and Leticia Dickson 14.

In the opening game Saturday, Barton recovered from a 21-point second-half deficit to surprise Elizabeth City State 73-70. For the first time in the 11-year history of the event, which always has pre-set pairings, all four teams went 1-1.

Barton's Esty Flores and ECSU's Celeste Trahan rounded out the all-tournament team.

The Eagles shot 65.5 percent from the floor in the second half to complete a season-best 58.5. NCCU went 6-for-11 from 3-point range and 27-for-33 -- that's 81.8 percent -- from the free-throw line.

"We had a lot of players who played the best game of their careers today," NCCU coach Joli Robinson said. "And it was definitely our best game of the season.

"Jori has played well all season, and we were waiting for her to have a game like this. Jennifer did a lot of things well today. And I know Tonia talked about wanting to win this game. She and Jamara McMillan were big rivals in high school."

FSU outrebounded the Eagles 30-29 and committed 26 turnovers to the Eagles' 27.

"We have a motto that we never lose at home," Nwachukwu said. "And that hurt when we lost to Elizabeth City (51-50) last night. So this was a 'rebound' game for us. I just wanted to do everything I could to make sure we got a 'W.'"

In a game that featured 11 ties and 10 lead changes FSU took its biggest lead with 10:15 left, going up 63-52 on a layup from Mercedes Humphries.

But the Eagles stormed back, taking a 64-63 lead on a Roundtree layup with 7:27 left.

FSU took a 67-64 advantage on a Price layup with 7:14 showing, but Hukill's jumper at 6:26 put the Eagles ahead at 69-67.

"I was able to get my shot a lot better tonight," Hukill said. "Division I teams seem to overplay a lot more, so it hadn't been easy.

"But we had a whole lot of people play great games tonight. If we can play like this, we're going to win a lot more."

The Eagles didn't lead for good until a Roundtree layup with 2:28 to play made it 78-77.

"We knew Fayetteville had a good team," Roundtree said. "We just had to play harder and smarter than they did.

"This was our first win, so it's really big. It's not as big as winning the CIAA Tournament last year, but right now it feels about as good."

The lead was a single point at 80-79 following a pair of Price free throws with 1:48 left, but the Eagles scored the next 11 points from four different players to provide the knockout punch.

Freshman guard Angelica Boles had a season-high nine points in 16 minutes.

"We just didn't play good enough defense tonight," said FSU coach and NCCU alumnus Eric Tucker. "But you know how these rivalries are. They have to come down to our place later in the season."

NCCU got only seven minutes from starting guard Casey Daniel, who hit the floor with a knee injury early in the first half and did not return. Eagles point guard LaVonna Hailey missed her second straight game with a broken finger.

Barton 73, ECSU 70

Flores paced the Bulldogs with a then-tournament record and career-high 33 points, including the final two points on free throws with 11 seconds left.

Barton (3-4) trailed 62-41 following a Trahan layup with 10:17 left before the Bulldogs made their big run. Jamilla Johnson added 10 points for Barton, while Kendra Thomas had seven points to go with her 11 rebounds.

Trahan had 28 points and 18 rebounds to lead ECSU (4-3). Joyce Freeman added 17 points while April Whitaker had eight points with her 11 rebounds.

NOTES -- Following the exam break, the Eagles begin a three-game road trip with a Dec. 15 game at Florida A M. ... NCCU's next home game is Dec. 30 against Mercy College. ... The Eagles' rematch with FSU will be on Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. at Capel Arena.