CONWAY, S.C. – Senior guard
Morgan Jones poured in a game-high 18 points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds for the North Carolina Central University women's basketball team in a 66-50 non-conference road loss at Coastal Carolina University Tuesday night.
The Chanticleers held the Lady Eagles scoreless for over five minutes in both the first and fourth quarters to clinch their first win. Coastal Carolina (1-1 Overall) shot 40.3-percent from the floor while holding NCCU (0-2) to just 27.3-percent.
Jones made four 3-pointers en route to her game-high 18 points and her nine boards was a career-high total. She was one rebound shy of her first career double-double.
Sophomore guard
Dominique Adams scored nine points for the Lady Eagles and freshman forward
Erin Houser netted a pair of 3-pointers for six points. Junior forward
Kierona Morton grabbed eight boards and sophomore forward
Deja McCain filled up the box score with five points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and two block shots.
Trailing by six at halftime, NCCU started the second half with four consecutive points on a pair of made free throws by sophomore
Rodneysha Martin and a deep jumper by Jones to pull within two points at 29-27. An ensuing five-point flurry by senior Rachel Gregory kept Coastal ahead and started an 18-10 run to finish the period.
The Chants held NCCU without a made field goal for the first five minutes and 39 seconds of the fourth quarter to extend its lead to 55-41 before prevailing by 16 points.
Gregory scored 13 of her 17 points in the second half to pace four double-digit scorers for Coastal. Freshman center Naheria Hamilton came off the bench and tallied a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Jas Adams added 12 points and senior Yasmin Miller supplied 11 points.
A steal and fast break layup by senior
Monique Whaley-Briggs gave NCCU its only lead in the open minute of play. The Lady Eagles would not score for the next five-plus minutes and the Chants scored 13 unanswered points over that span to take the lead for good at 13-2. Miller scored six points in that outburst and then added another late layup as Coastal had NCCU doubled up at the end of the first quarter, 22-11.
The maroon and gray rallied over the next 10 minutes, outscoring Coastal 12-7 in the second quarter. NCCU's dozen points all came from beyond the arc as Houser drilled two treys and both Jones and Adams sank one trifecta to cut the Lady Eagle deficit to just two possessions, 29-23, heading into the intermission.
The Chanticleers made 11 of 14 free throws (78.6%), including all eight attempts in the second half, to help stay in front. Coastal also controlled the glass with a 48-39 rebounding advantage.
NCCU shot better from long range – going 7 for 20 (35%) – than it did from inside the arc at 11 of 46 (23.9%).
The Lady Eagles return home and will host Johnson & Wales University on Friday at 6 p.m.
