Feb. 9, 2010

Final Stats

ROCK HILL, S.C. - The North Carolina Central University Lady Eagles (7-15) put together a second half performance that saw a 26-point deficit cut to 11 and an offense that outscored its opponent 28-22, but it wasn't enough to clip the wings of the Winthrop University Lady Eagles (9-14) as NCCU fell, 57-39, Tuesday evening in the Battle of the Eagles in the Winthrop Coliseum.

Forced to explore other options with the absence of its leading scorer, NCCU looked to its bench for support and offensive power. Junior forward Sheresa Mills put on the performance of her career with eight points, five rebounds, one assist and three steals in 23 minutes of action, all earning her career-highs.

Shanise Blanks, who struggled from 3-point land, led the Lady Eagles with 11 points. Tying Mills with eight points was sophomore guard Blaire Houston, who also led in assists with two. Destiny Tolliver, who started for the second consecutive game brought strength on the post with a season-high eight rebounds and four blocks.

Winthrop's powerful defense was trouble for the Lady Eagles, who shot 18.9 percent from the field and 20 percent from behind the arc. They remained consistent from the charity stripe, shooting 69.6 percent, a better shooting performance than the host Lady Eagles. Latoya Bennett shot 100 percent (4-for-4) from the line, while Houston hit 4-of-5. Danielle DeBerry added to NCCU's free throw performance with a 3-for-4 outing.

The NCCU defense forced 13 turnovers, seven which came in the second half. They held the Winthrop Lady Eagles less than 40 percent from the field and the 3-point line. NCCU had five blocks and six steals on the night.

Even though Winthrop controlled the game from the opening tip, NCCU never gave up. The Lady Eagles managed to pull together a second half rally that cut a 26-point deficit to 11 with six minutes left in the game. However, NCCU was unable to get over the hump against a team that had the advantage in both size and strength.

Winthrop had three players score in double-figures as Chanel White recorded a career-high 13 points and grabbed nine boards to lead the way for the Lady Eagles. Kaitlyn Rubino and Jessica Fansler had 10 points apiece. The NCCU defense held Winthrop leading scorer Shanice Cole to only three points.

The game got off to a slow start with both teams struggling to put points on the board. An aggressive defensive effort from both sides kept the score at zero for the first 1:58 of play until Winthrop hit two at the 18:02 mark to go on a quick 6-0 run. NCCU went four minutes and 59 seconds before they earned their first points of the game off a jumper by Blanks, which sparked a short 4-0 run to tie the game at six apiece.

Winthrop halted the Lady Eagles at six points and kept them there for the next 6:35 as they went on a 16-0 run to lead 22-6. A layup by Mills at the 5:37 mark ended the Lady Eagle drought as they tried to crawl back into the ballgame. NCCU managed to score only three more points, which came off a 3-pointer by Blanks.

It seemed the Winthrop Lady Eagles could not miss as they continued to score on offense, closing out the half on a 13-3 run. NCCU went into halftime with a 24-point deficit, Winthrop's largest lead of the half.

Coming out of the break, NCCU scored the first two points of the second stanza, but Winthrop followed with a 7-3 run to extend its lead to 26 at the 14:14 mark. But then it was all about the Lady Eagles in the maroon and black as NCCU cut the deficit to 15 off a 10-0 run, forcing Winthrop to call a timeout.

Katie Fitzgerald hit a jumper in an attempt to clip the Lady Eagles' wings, but NCCU refused to back down. The Lady Eagles kept the momentum going, continuing to inch their way back into the ballgame. NCCU got within 11 following a 7-1 run to put 45-34 on the scoreboard. Unfortunately for NCCU, time was not on its side.

Winthrop managed to jump-start a late run, closing the second stanza with a 12-5 run within the last 6:00 of action, giving them a 57-39 victory. Winthrop proved to be the stronger Eagle team in the Battle of the Eagles, but NCCU proved to be the better team in the second half, outscoring Winthrop, 28-22.

NCCU dropped to 7-15 on the season and 2-10 against Big South opponents. Winthrop improved to 9-14 on the season and takes a 1-0 advantage in the series. The NCCU Lady Eagles are now 1-5 against first-time opponents this season.

The Lady Eagles are coming to the end of their six-game road swing with one road game remaining until they return home. NCCU will return to the hardwood next week when they travel to Clinton, S.C. to battle the Presbyterian College Blue Hose on Tuesday, Feb. 16. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. in the Templeton Center. It will mark the first meeting between NCCU and Presbyterian in program history.

For more information on Lady Eagle basketball, visit the official website of NCCU Athletics at www.NCCUEaglePride.com.