HBCU's take center stage at Legacy Classic in Newark

On Saturday, Prudential Center hosted an event years in the making. The Legacy Classic featured four Historically Black Colleges and Universities in a showcase in Newark. Actor Michael B. Jordan was at the forefront of putting on the debut event. The afternoon was a celebration of HBCU athletics and a culture not promoted enough to the masses.

The day was a success for everyone involved, from the organizers to those who attended the games. Yes, there was great basketball, but the day served to recognize HBCU's achievements, contributions, and bright futures. It's not about money when it comes to those colleges and universities, it's about making everyone aware of them, and the Legacy Classic did just that.

The first game featured Delaware State and North Carolina Central. Delaware State accepted a last-minute invitation to Newark on Friday after Hampton withdrew due to COVID-19 protocols.

North Carolina Central 86, Delaware State 53

North Carolina Central started hot, knocking down four straight three-pointers on consecutive possessions as they jumped out to a 12-4 lead in the opening minutes at The Rock. At the same time, Delaware State turned the ball over four times as they struggled to get anything going offensively. After a timeout, Delaware State went on a 9-0 run to cut the NCCU lead to 19-14 at the midway point of the first half.

Even with that run, points were at a premium for Delaware State (2-9) as numerous scoring droughts were their issue in the first half. Meanwhile, North Carolina Central continued to score at will, especially from beyond the arc. NCCU averages six threes per game, but on Saturday, they made nine in the first half led by Randy Miller Jr. The redshirt senior knocked down five treys in the first half, finishing with 20 first-half points as North Carolina Central took a 49-24 lead into the halftime. Delaware State turned the ball over 12 times, leading to 24 points for the Eagles.

The struggle continued for Delaware State as they started the second half shooting just 13 percent from the field. North Carolina Central continued to make shots scoring 22 points in the first nine minutes of the half, building to a 72-33 lead at the 11-minute mark of the half.

"It was just our night," said NCCU head coach LeVelle Moten. "We can shoot the basketball. But we just haven't had -- I'm getting to know these guys, right? It's ten new guys. So, like, we're in the dating phase. We just went out and first couple of 10 games and we just don't know them until they actually thrown in that fire."

Delaware State, led by preseason All-MEAC First-Team guard Myles Carter, started to make shots down the stretch as they attempted to get to 50 points for the game. NCCU was just too much for them as they finished shooting 48 percent from the field and from beyond the arc.

Randy Miller Jr. led the way with 23 points North Carolina Central (6-7), while Kris Monroe and Dontavius King each scored 16 points. Eric Boone dished out 13 assists, which tied for the fourth-most assists in a gamer in school history.

Myles Carter scored a team-high 18 points for Delaware State. Delaware State head coach Stan Waterman believes that the Legacy Classic was not a total loss, even in defeat.

"This is huge. As I said, we have an opportunity to represent HBCUs across the country," said Waterman. "And we don't get many opportunities to be on the national stage. The game is nationally televised on TNT. We're playing in this arena. And people across the country get to see there's really good basketball being played."

Howard 79, North Carolina A&T 57

Howard and North Carolina A&T was the showcase game of the Legacy Classic, and early on, there was a heavyweight fight feel between the two schools. It was back and forth throughout the first half as Howard led early, but the Aggies kept it close in the first half of the second game.

Early on, both teams struggled from the field but started to find their stroke, including Howard's Steve Settle, who scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting. NC A&T took their first lead of the half as David Beatty hit a layup to put the Aggies up 30-29 with 2:08 left in the opening half. Howard ended the half shooting 2-of-11 from the field but went into the locker room leading 31-30 after two Elijah Hawkins free throws ended the half.

Howard opened the second half on a 14-2 run over 2:08 as the Bison took a 47-34 lead with 15:50 left in regulation. Tai Bibbs scored nine of the 14 points for Howard as North Carolina A&T looked flat coming out of the locker room.

Howard (6-5) was on fire from the field, hitting seven field goals in a row as they pulled away from North Carolina A&T. What made Howard's dominant second half impressive was how in a landscape where teams have trouble playing in the half-court, the Bison thrived in it. Only ten of Howard's points came on the fast break as they worked the ball around and found the best shots possible throughout the second half.

"I feel like in the first half we had great looks, and they didn't fall, which that's going to happen sometimes, but we knew that we were going to keep our confidence and just allow the carry over into the second half, and we knew shots were going to fall," said Settle after the game. "When they did, that kind of blew the game open."

Kyle Foster led Howard with 18 points and nine rebounds. Steve Settle finished with 15 points.

Collin Smith scored 11 points off the bench for North Carolina A&T (4-9). Demetric Horton scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds.

"North Carolina A&T tonight did not play with energy. We could not control the rebound battle," said Aggies head coach Will Jones. "We got destroyed on the glass, and we didn't play with any type of rhythm. When you don't play the right way, bad things happen, and, you know, we've got to get back, and we've got to fix it, and we have to be more consistent.

The day was a success for everyone who helped put it together and those who made it all happen on-site at the Prudential Center on Saturday. The Legacy Classic was about more than basketball. It was a day for HBCUs to show the nation who they are and what they represent. They did just that.