Elizabeth City State University Freshman guard, Zaccheus Hobbs, left, handles the ball against Chowan University Wednesday, Feb. 7, in Murfreesboro. The Vikings claimed a 71-68 victory over the Hawks.
MURFREESBORO, NORTH CAROLINA – With the contest tied at 68-all, junior guard Corey Mendez knocked down a three-pointer with .3 seconds remaining in the contest as Elizabeth City State University men’s basketball team stunned Chowan University in the Helms Center Wednesday evening, 71-68.
With the victory, the Vikings improve to 10-11 overall and 3-8 in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association; while CU fell to 8-12 and 3-8 on the season.
ECSU jumped out to an early 26-8 lead, before the Hawks came soaring back igniting a 26-17 run of its own to close out the first half. The half saw two lead changes, while both teams recorded 10 points in the paint.
The Vikings outscored Chowan (11-5) in points off turnovers, (8-4) in second chance points, (5-2) in fast break points, and (16-12) in bench points. The Vikings finished the half shooting 50 percent from the floor, 53.8 percent from behind the arc, and 66.7 percent from the foul line; while CU closed out the first half shooting 45.8 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from downtown, and 70 percent from the free-throw.
ECSU led by as much as 18 points with 11:04 remaining in the first half. During the second half, the game saw two lead changes and two ties going down the wire. The Vikings shot 36.7 percent from the floor, 41.7 percent from downtown, and 50 percent from the candy stripe; while Chowan came out in the second half, shooting 47.8 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from behind the arc, and 70 percent from the foul line.
ECSU finished the game shooting 43.3 percent from the field, 48 percent from downtown, and 63.6 percent from the candy stripe. Both teams knocked down 20 points in the paint, but ECSU outscored Chowan in points off turnovers (18-14), fast break points (7-4), and bench points (27-16). The Vikings were outscored in second chance points (16-14).
Junior guard Shyheid Petteway led ECSU with 16 points, while Mendez finished with 14 points, and freshman guard Zaccheus Hobbs scored 11 in the victory. Sophomore forward Joseph Allen added seven boards for the Vikings.
The Hawks had four scorers in double-figures as Trevis Buckhanon and Robert Grubbs led the way with 14 points each. Demetrius Sanders added 12 points and Dino Muminovic collected 11 in the effort.
Elizabeth City State will travel to Lincoln University for a CIAA North showdown, Saturday, Feb. 10. The women’s contest is slated for a 2 p.m. start followed by the men’s game at 4 p.m.
Follow Elizabeth City State Athletics via its official website at: www.ecsuvikings.com to get pre and post-game stories and updates. Like us on Facebook at: ECSUVikings Athletics and follow us on twitter at: @ECSUVikings
