Cole has 27 points, leads NC Central to 9th straight win

Feb 11, 2017, 06:27 pm

DURHAM, N.C. -- Patrick Cole had 27 points while dishing out eight assists and North Carolina Central ran over South Carolina State 85-62 on Saturday for its ninth straight win to remain atop the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference standings.

Del'Vin Dickerson added 20 points with eight rebounds and Kyle Benton chipped in 12 points, hitting 5 of 6 from the floor, for the Eagles (18-6, 9-1).

NCCU sprinted to a 40-25 halftime advantage, led 65-51 midway through the second half, and held an 80-60 advantage with 4:00 remaining.

The Eagles hit 30 of 57 (53 percent) field goal attempts while limiting South Carolina State to 25-of-57 (44 percent) shooting. The Eagles picked up 11 more points from the free throw line.

Ed Stephens and Tashombe Riley had 15 points apiece to lead the Bulldogs (7-17, 4-7) who have dropped four of their last five games.