Box Score NCCU at Winthrop

ROCK HILL, S.C. (www.NCCUEaglePride.com) – Despite a career-high outing by North Carolina Central University newcomer Eyandra Molina and two additional double-figure outings, the Lady Eagles of Winthrop still managed to obtain a 39-point victory on Wednesday, Dec. 21 in Rock Hill, S.C.

Molina, sophomore Alesha Jenkins and junior Chasidy Williams finished with 10 points apiece in the loss.  Jenkins led the defensive campaign with six rebounds and two blocks, while sophomore Tenika Neely circulated three assists and Williams stole four possessions.

Winthrop grasped the lead at the 18:50 mark and never looked back.  The host Lady Eagles hit a 10-0 run before the maroon and gray netted its first point at the 15:20 mark off of a layup by sophomore Tiffany Gary.

The mighty maroon hit another scoring slump, going scoreless as Winthrop advanced to 14-point lead off an 8-0 run. 

NCCU’s Molina snapped the run with a jumper at the 12:14 mark, obtaining her first points of the afternoon.

By the 10:27 mark Winthrop was ahead by 20 points, for a score of 24-4.

Jenkins paced the mighty maroon on a 6-0 run to decrease the margin to 14 points.  Nonetheless, Winthrop revived its offense and took its third 20-point lead of the night off a 10-4 run.

In the final three minutes of play, NCCU hit a 6-0 run for a halftime score of 34-20 for a 14-point Winthrop lead.

By the halftime intermission, Jenkins led the squad with seven points.

In the second-half of play, the South Carolina foes extended its offensive success to the three-point arc, sinking 7-of-17 from the long range and improving statistically from 8 percent to 41 percent.

In the final 20-minutes of play, the South Carolina squad varied between a 12-point and 40-point lead before sealing its fifth win of the season, 79-40.

On the night, the Lady Eagles were 32 percent from the field on 17-of-54 shooting, 0-of-8 from behind the arc, and 55 percent from the charity stripe, 6-of-11. 

Five Winthrop student-athletes netted in double figures, with Diana Choibekova topping the squad with 17 points. 

Dequesha McClanahan added 16 points to the win, while Samiya Wright finished with 13 points, Kaitlyn Rubino amassed 12 points and TaQuoia Hammick gathered 10 points.  Choibekova pulled down nine rebounds, as McClanahan distributed eight assists and Rubino blocked two shots.  The Lady Eagles were 47 percent from the field on 30-of-64, 8-of-29 from the long range, and 65 percent from the free-throw line, 11-of-17.

NCCU drops to 2-10 on the season, as Winthrop advances to 5-6 and progresses to 3-0 in the series.

The Lady Eagles will enjoy the holidays before returning to action on Wednesday, Dec. 28 for a 6:00 p.m. matchup against Gardner-Webb in Durham, N.C., in McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium. 

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