North Carolina Central Eagles @ East Tennessee State Buccaneers
Riley with a 3 to win it; ETSU beats NC Central 61-59
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- Jalen Riley knocked down a 3 with 13 seconds left, capping his 12 straight points for East Tennessee State, and the Buccaneers edged past North Carolina Central in a 61-59 comeback on Saturday night.
NC Central (16-6) led 35-28 at the break, and Jordan Parks' dunk with 5:44 left held it at a 12-point advantage.
The Eagles then shot 0 of 4, made just 1 of 4 free throws, and turned the ball over four times. Devin Harris converted three free throws to get ETSU (13-8) within nine points, and Riley took over from there. He went 3 of 4 at the line and made three 3-pointers in the run, finishing with 24 points.
Karamo Jawara's 3-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark. NC Central got its only point in the final 5:44 from Anthony McDonald, who scored 22 points -- 21 from 3-point range -- for the Eagles.
Game Information
Johnson City, TN
Referee:Sam Croft
Referee:Jacyn Goble
Referee:Joey Richardson
2025-26 Standings
| Mid-Eastern Athletic ConferenceMid-Eastern Athletic Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howard | 11-3 | - | 24-11 |
| Morgan State | 10-4 | 1 | 14-16 |
| Norfolk State | 8-6 | 3 | 15-17 |
| North Carolina Central | 8-6 | 3 | 14-18 |
| South Carolina State | 7-7 | 4 | 10-22 |
| Maryland Eastern Shore | 5-9 | 6 | 9-23 |
| Coppin State | 5-9 | 6 | 7-24 |
| Delaware State | 2-12 | 9 | 8-23 |
| Southern ConferenceSouthern Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Tennessee State | 13-5 | - | 23-11 |
| Mercer | 11-7 | 2 | 19-13 |
| Wofford | 11-7 | 2 | 19-13 |
| Samford | 11-7 | 2 | 18-14 |
| Furman | 10-8 | 3 | 22-13 |
| Western Carolina | 10-8 | 3 | 15-16 |
| UNC Greensboro | 9-9 | 4 | 15-19 |
| Chattanooga | 7-11 | 6 | 13-19 |
| The Citadel | 7-11 | 6 | 11-22 |
| VMI | 1-17 | 12 | 6-26 |
Men's College Basketball News

LSU officially signs Kansas State transfer Bashir, 3 others
1d

At NBPA Top 100 Camp, top boys high school recruits embrace a new reality
1d

Darius Acuff Jr. wants to be the next Jalen Brunson: A star with more heart than height
2d

