TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The North Carolina Central University women's basketball team is accustomed to second-half comebacks, having earned five of its six victories when trailing in the final 20 minutes.
 
The shoe was on the other foot on Monday night, though, as the Lady Eagles gave up an eight-point second-half advantage and allowed Florida A&M to rally for a 65-58 win inside the Lawson Center in Tallahassee, Florida.
 
NCCU (6-18, 4-8 MEAC) trailed by as much as nine points in the first half, including a 24-15 deficit with eight minutes left before intermission, but the Lady Eagles used a 14-6 run to close out the half with a 32-30 advantage going into the locker room.
 
In the second half, NCCU improved its cushion to 51-43 on a three-pointer by Tia Clement with 11:15 left to play.  FAMU responded by scoring 13 unanswered points to take a 56-51 lead with 5:56 remaining and held on the rest of the way for the victory.
 
Senior Nikki Works topped NCCU with 15 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots, while Khyra Conerly contributed 12 points and Clement came off the Lady Eagles' bench for 11 points.
 
Florida A&M (8-16, 5-7 MEAC) was paced by Olivia Antilla with 20 points and eight rebounds.
 
Up next, NCCU hosts Morgan State on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 2 p.m. inside McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium, where the Lady Eagles have won three in-a-row.