There will be a new MEAC men’s basketball champion this year.
Jayden Johnson‘s 28 points lifted No. 5 seed South Carolina State to an 88-82 win over No. 4 seed Norfolk State, ending the Spartans’ two-year run as the top team MEAC.
The Bulldogs (10-21) led from start to finish, opening the game on a 19-6 run and led 39-30 at halftime.
Florian Tenebay’s jumper opened up a 72-57 lead for the Bulldogs with 5:45 to go in the second half and the Spartans (15-17) could only get as close as five points with 35 seconds left.
Tenebay (13 points), James Morrow (11 points) and Noah Treadwell (10 points) joined Johnson in double figures as the Bulldogs gained a measure of revenge for last season’s 66-65 loss in the conference championship game.
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South Carolina State moves on to face top-seeded Howard in Friday’s semifinals at 6 p.m.
NC Central survived UMES
In the second quarterfinal of the night, No. 3 seed North Carolina Central had to sweat out an extra five minutes before defeated No. 6 Maryland Eastern Shore 83-76.
The Fighting Hawks (9-23) trailed 74-71 with seven seconds left when Dorion Staples rattled home an NBA-range three-pointer from the right wing to tie the score with .9 left on the clock.
The Eagles (13-17) took the lead for good in overtime on a Jae Slack three-pointer and held the Hawks to just two points.
Point guard Dionte Johnson had an outstanding game for Central, scoring a game-high 26 points on 8 of 11 shooting from the field and a perfect 8 of 8 from the free-throw line.
Gage Lattimore added 18 points for the Eagles, and Slack contributed 14 before fouling out.
North Carolina Central will face 7th-seeded Delaware State in Friday night’s second semifinal at 8 p.m.
