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03/14 14:44 CDT Gillus, Okojie and Harris score 14, Howard beats NC Central 70-63 to clinch NCAA Tournament bid Gillus, Okojie and Harris score 14, Howard beats NC Central 70-63 to clinch NCAA Tournament bid NORFOLK, Va. (AP) --- Cam Gillus, Ose Okojie and Bryce Harris all scored 14 points, and top-seeded Howard opened the second half with a decisive run to beat No. 3 seed North Carolina Central 70-63 on Wednesday, claiming the MEAC title and a spot in the NCAA tournament. Howard (23-10) led 26-23 at halftime before breaking the game open down the stretch. The Bison opened the second half on a 15-1 run, turning a three-point lead into a 41-24 advantage with 16:18 remaining and did not trail the rest of the way. The Bison, who have won two of the last three MEAC Tournament titles, got 14 points apiece from Gillus, Okojie and Harris. Cedric Taylor III added 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Harris finished with 10 rebounds. N.C. Central (14-18) spent the rest of the half trying to recover and got within six points several times, including 58-52 after a 3-pointer by Dionte Johnson with 4:19 left. Howard answered each push and closed the game at the free-throw line. Johnson led the Eagles with 14 points and seven rebounds. Gage Lattimore added 12 points, Kelechi Okworogwo scored 11 and Jae Slack had 11 off the bench. Howard made 27 of 35 free throws, while North Carolina Central committed 13 turnovers.

Up Next Howard claimed an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Tournament, which begins Tuesday with the First Four. They await their matchup and seeding, which will be revealed on Sunday. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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