NORFOLK, Va. -- Prince Okoroh hit two free throws with 13 seconds left for a four-point lead as No. 8 seed Howard beat ninth-seeded North Carolina A&T 53-47 in the first round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament on Tuesday.

Howard will play top-seeded North Carolina Central on Wednesday.

Solomon Mangham led Howard (8-24) with 14 points and Okoroh had 13.

Lamont Middleton scored 19 points for North Carolina A&T (9-23), the defending MEAC tournament champions.

Neither team shot above 30 percent in the game.

NC A&T took its first lead of the second half, 44-43, on a 3-pointer by Jeremy Underwood with 5:05 left. Then Howard's James Miller responded with a trey of his own. With 2:33 left, NC A&T's Lamont Middleton converted a three-point play to regain the lead -- but the Aggies would not score again.

James Daniel's 3-pointer put Howard up for good at 49-47.