RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Darrin Shine and Bruce Davis scored 12 apiece as Delaware State came on strong in the second half to beat South Carolina State 61-48 in the first semifinal game of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday.
Delaware State (17-13) will play the winner of the Coppin State-Hampton semifinal game in the finals at noon Saturday.
South Carolina State (19-11) started the game with an 8-0 run, but Delaware State returned the favor and scored the next eight to tie it with 13:10 remaining. South Carolina State led by as many as six until a 3-pointer by Terrance Hunter and two free throws from Jahsha Bluntt brought Delaware State to within one. Hunter sank one free throw, but missed the next to take a 23-all tie into the break.
Darrin Shine scored the first five points as Delaware State went on a 7-0 run to open the second half. The Hornets sank 19-of-27 free throws in the second half, and shot 60 percent from the field during that half after only shooting 25 percent during the first 20 minutes.
Aaron Williams added 11 for Delaware State.
Brian Mason scored 12 of his 14 from the free-throw line for South Carolina State. Chris Lee added 10, and Demeco Heath scored eight and had 15 rebounds.
