CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Junior guard Morgan Jones led North Carolina Central University with 13 points and senior forward Tisha Dixon tallied her first double-double of the season in a 67-52 non-conference road loss to the Charlotte 49ers on Wednesday night in Halton Arena.
 
The Lady Eagles scored a season-high 52 points and held the 49ers to their lowest point total but NCCU (0-5 Overall) still suffered its fifth straight setback to start the year. Charlotte (5-2) – a Conference USA member – has won three straight contests.
 
Jones was a perfect 4 for 4 from the free throw line and scored nine points before halftime on her way to a season-high 13 points. Jones also had two of NCCU's six steals.
 
Dixon scored in double figures for a fourth time in five games and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds to complete her double-double. Dixon's first double-double of her senior season was her eighth double-double of her career for the Maroon and Gray.
 
All 10 Lady Eagles that played scored with junior transfer Chantal Thomas swishing nine points in her first start at NCCU. Freshman Dominique Adams and junior Tyshay Britten led the Lady Eagles' reserves with four points apiece.
 
Charlotte opened up the contest with a 3-pointer by senior Kira Gordon, but it was the 49ers inside play that constructed a 24-10 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Charlotte shot 47-8-percent in the opening period and nine of its 11 made field goals came on layups, including four by senior Alexis Alexander.
 
NCCU held its only lead of the contest at 4-3 just 90 seconds into play after a reverse layup by junior Monique Whaley-Briggs and a drive and strong finish inside by Dixon.
 
The Lady Eagles kept fighting and outscored the 49ers, 12-9, in the second quarter to trim the halftime deficit to 33-22. Jones heated up in the second period scoring seven points on two free throws, a fastbreak layup off her own steal and a 3-pointer from the left wing in a 38-second span.
 
After Dixon banked in a 15-foot jumper to start the third quarter to close the gap to single digits at 33-24, Charlotte answered by netting the next seven field goals during a decisive 16-4 run to pull out to a 49-28 cushion late in the third. However, NCCU did score three of the final four baskets of the period on a jumper in the paint by freshman Deja McCain and layups by Jones and Thomas to head into the fourth trailing by 17 (51-34).
 
NCCU once again won the last 10 minutes of the second half like the first half, outscoring Charlotte 18-16 in the fourth quarter to close the final gap to 15 points at the end.
 
The 49ers had four players in double digits with junior Kenya Olley tallying team-high marks of 12 points and four blocks. Alexander and freshman Grace Hunter added 11 points apiece and sophomore Amaya Ransom chipped in 10 points.
 
Charlotte distributed the ball well with assists on over half of its field goals. Freshman Laia Raventos supplying six dimes.
 
NCCU scored a season-high 52 points with its best shooting percentage of the campaign while also committing its fewest mistakes in five games. The Lady Eagles shot 34.4-percent (21 of 61) and made just two mistakes more than the 49ers, 17-15. NCCU held a rebounding surplus over its opponent for a third consecutive game, 40-37.
 
NCCU will begin league play on Saturday when the Lady Eagles host Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) foe University of Maryland Eastern Shore in McDougald-McLendon Arena at 2 p.m.