Box Score North Carolina Central vs. Western Carolina

DURHAM, N.C. – After a solid first-half of play, the North Carolina Central University women’s basketball team lost its steam to allow Western Carolina University to take a 13-point, 62-49 win on Friday, Nov. 11 in McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium.
 
While NCCU redshirt juniors Chasidy Williams and Jasmine Alston provided double-figure outings on the night, a total 27 turnovers cost the Lady Eagles their first home win.  Williams finished the contest with 17 points, while Alston dropped 11 points.
 
The first 20-minutes of play were a back-and-forth battle, with the half consisting of seven ties and 12 lead changes.
 
The Lady Eagles hit the ground running, with redshirt sophomore Lakisha Evans seizing the first four points of the game within three minutes.  WCU’s Rena Wakama answered back with a quick jumper to launch the point-for-point competition.
 
At the 1:07 mark, the two squads reached their seventh tie with scores of 23-23.  The Catamounts netted two free throws at the end of the first-half for a halftime score of 25-23.
 
As the second-half of play commenced, Western Carolina paced to a 16-3 run, placing the Lady Eagles in a 15-point deficit.
 
Up until the 50 second mark, the Catamounts maintained a double-figure lead.  A layup by Alston and a layup by Williams, brought the margin to eight with scores of 55-47.  But, in the final seconds of play, WCU went on a 7-5 run to close the contest at 62-49.
  
Along with her 17 points, Williams topped the mighty maroon in rebounds with seven, while leading in blocks with two and steals with three.
 
In terms of a total team performance, NCCU seized 36 rebounds, blocked three Catamounts’ shots and stole 17 WCU possessions.  The Lady Eagles netted 60 percent from the free-throw line, 32 percent from the field and 60 percent from the three-point arc, with Alston going a perfect 3-for-3 from the long range.
 
The visiting Catamounts offense was led by Rena Wakama, Kaila’Shea Menendez and Makensey Campbell.  Wakama dropped 19 points, while going 10-for-12 from the charity stripe, Menendez netted 13 points and Campbell scoring 12 points.  Menendez also paced the squad in rebounds by pulling down seven boards.  Wakama distributed four assists and stole four NCCU possessions.
 
As a unit, the Catamounts obtained down 38 rebounds and stole 27 Lady Eagle possessions. With Menendez’s perfect 5-for-5 free-throw performance, WCU scored 80 percent from the charity stripe, while scoring 33 percent from the field and 13 percent from the long range.
 
The Lady Eagles hit the road for the first time this season for a 6:00 p.m. matchup against Wofford in Spartanburg, S.C., on Monday, Nov. 14.
  
For more information on Lady Eagles basketball, visit the official website of NCCU Athletics at www.NCCUEaglePride.com.