Box Score

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa. (January 22, 2011) —  Rondy Tucker hit two free throws with 10.4 seconds left for a 61-59 Elizabeth City State victory Saturday night at Manuel Rivero Hall.

Combating double teams much of the game, Denzel Mooney (Baltimore, Md./Western School of Technology)'s streak of 20-point games snapped at eight with a team-high15-point effort. With a 3-point shot and the opportunity for a win, his attempt hit the front of the rim, a disappointing end to an otherwise fantastic game between two clutch basketball teams.

Lincoln shot 51.2 percent from the game but was just 25 percent from the perimeter while the Vikings three second-half treys powered them to a comeback.

The first half closed with a flurry of baskets after Elizabeth City State's Quintin Spady knocked down a jumper with 35 seconds left in the opening period to put ECSU up by one. It didn't last long, though, as easy Lincoln lay-ins by Zane Oxley (Philadelphia/Martin Luther King HIgh School) and Kwaheem Smith (Trenton, NJ/Trenton Catholic) gave LU (1-13, 0-7 CIAA, 0-1 North) a 28-25 edge at halftime.

Lincoln's torid start could be credited to balancd shooting. Seven players scored at a 63.2 percent clip. ECSU, meanwhile, struggled from the floor, going just 10-of-31.

The momentum stayed with the Lions as the margin grew to 11 at 48-37 with 11:22 remaining in the game, but suddenly a resurgent ECSU team became motivated by a technical foul on an irate Shawn Walker, the Vikings' head coach.

ECSU (11-4, 5-2 CIAA, 1-0 North) drew within 48-44 with 9:14 left following two free throws by Paul Goldsmith, but Eugene Smith (West Palm Beach, Fl/PennWood ) promptly answered with a turnaround jumper off the left wing. But that was only a temporary respite from the rally Lincoln faced. Smith finished with 10 points.

At 50-48 following a pull-up jumper by Trent Bivens, Tucker's lay-up shortly afterward tied the game with 6:47 left. A Lawrence Williams free throw gave ECSU its first lead since the 3:15 mark.

The Lions trailed by as many as four, but Mooney drew LU even at 57-57 on a drive and acrobatic lay-in. ECSU junior guard Marquie Cook hit two free throws with 1:12 to go, but Mooney again tied the contest for the eighth time with another close-range bucket, but Tucker went to the line after players from both teams fought for a loose ball under the Vikings' basket. He hit both with 10.4 seconds left.

Goldsmith led all scorers with 17 points. Tucker finished with nine points and nine rebounds.

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