McDonald scores 10 in 2nd half, North Carolina Central holds on to beat Northern Arizona 40-36

Niceville, Fla. – Anthony McDonald nailed two straight 3-pointers and a layup to give North Carolina Central a six-point lead with 8:28 remaining and the Eagles held on to defeat Northern Arizona 40-36 in the Emerald Coast Classic championship on Saturday.

Northern Arizona closed to 38-36 with 1:23 left following a Quinton Upshur 3-point jumper. McDonald, who had all of his 10 points in the second half, then made two free throws with 26 seconds remaining to seal the win.

Jordan Parks had 12 points to lead NCCU (3-3).

Aaseem Dixon hit a 3-point jumper to give the Lumberjacks a 29-23 lead with 13:50 left in the game. The Eagles had a 14-2 run to grab a 38-31 lead with 7:16 remaining.

Upshur lead the Lumberjacks with 13 points.

NCCU made just 3 of 21 from beyond the arc, completing 33.3% from the floor (15-45). The Lumberjacks made only 13 of 41 (31.7.