Box Score
NCCUW at South Carolina State
ORANGEBURG, S.C. (www.NCCUEaglePride.com) - North Carolina Central University sophomore Lakisha Evans made the final road game of the 2011-12 season memorable, as she notched a career-high 15 points in the Lady Eagles 57-68 loss to South Carolina State University on Monday, Feb. 27 in the S-M-H Memorial Center in Orangeburg, S.C.
Along with Evans’ career-high scoring outing, the Chapel Hill, N.C., native pulled down a career-high eight rebounds. NCCU senior Blaire Houston dropped 13 points and circulated five assists, while junior Chasidy Williams tallied nine points and nine boards and freshman Kabrina Truesdale stole two SCSU possessions.
SCSU’s Paris Alston, who scored the first nine consecutive points for SCSU, opened the contest with a jumper in the paint.
NCCU sophomore Tenika Neely quickly responded with a two-point jumper at the baseline to set the first half of play into eight ties and four lead changes.
The Lady Bulldogs extended their margin to five points at the 5:58 mark, until a layup in the paint by Evans and junior Jasmine Alston’s only long-range basket of the night set the seventh tie of the contest, 26-26.
During the final minutes of the half, NCCU captured the lead and extended to margin to as many as three points. Following in Alston’s footsteps, SCSU’s Tiara Knotts netted her only three pointer of the contest for the final gridlock at the 54-second mark, 29-29.
South Carolina State’s Trinese Fox scored a last second behind-the-arc shot to end the half with a three-point margin lead, 32-29.
By the half, Williams led the mighty maroon with five rebounds, while Evans paced the offense with six points.
As both teams returned to the court for the second-half of competition, SCSU reignited the first-half final-second run as they paced to a 18-10 run for a 13-point lead by the 11:58 mark.
On a 4-0 run, NCCU brought the margin down to seven for the closest margin of the half.
The Lady Bulldogs varied between a 13-point lead and an eight-point lead before sealing the night with a 68-57 victory over the Lady Eagles.
The maroon and gray shot 45 percent from the field on 21-of-47, 22 percent from the long range and a season-high 93 percent from the free-throw line on a 13-of-14 effort.
Paris finished the night with a team-high 21 points, while Knotts tallied 10 points and seven assists and Christiana Perkins pulled down 13 rebounds.
On their home hardwood, the Lady Bulldogs were 45 percent from the field on 27-of-57 shooting, 7-of-14 from behind the arc and 78 percent from the charity stripe on 7-of-9.
NCCU declines to 3-25 on the season and 1-14 in the MEAC, as SCSU progresses to 12-14 overall and 7-8 in the conference.
The mighty maroon returns to its home-hardwood for the final game of the 2011-12 campaign with a 5:30 p.m. contest against the Lady Pirates of Hampton University in McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium.
