NORFOLK, Va. – Senior Tisha Dixon tallied a double-double in her final collegiate game for 12th-seeded North Carolina Central University in a 52-42 loss to fifth-seeded Morgan State University in the opening round of the 2016 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Women's Basketball Tournament on Monday afternoon at the Norfolk Scope Arena.
 
The Lady Bears (13-16 Overall) advance to the quarterfinals against fourth-seeded Coppin State University on Thursday. The Lady Eagles ended their season at 5-23.
 
Dixon led all players with 20 points, a career-high total, that included 8 for 14 marksmanship from the floor. Dixon pulled down 14 rebounds as well to complete her sixth double-double of the season and 13th of her four-year career representing the Maroon and Gray.
 
NCCU's defense held Second-Team All-MEAC honoree sophomore Braennan Farrar to just eight points on 3 of 16 accuracy from the field. However, classmate guard Zuri White had the answer for the Lady Bears. White led MSU with 17 points and 14 rebounds for her fourth double-double.
 
NCCU held its only two leads of the day at 2-0 and 4-2 on a pair of early hoops by Dixon.
 
A trio of 15-foot jumpers by White ignited an ensuing 9-0 run. A junior Benedicta Makakala 3-pointer capped the surge that put Morgan State ahead 11-4. The Lady Bears never relinquished the lead after gaining it for the first time and MSU maintained that seven-point advantage after the first quarter at 17-10.
 
The Lady Eagles would get within four early in the second quarter after junior Monique Whaley-Briggs drilled a 3-pointer. The Lady Bears responded with an 11-2 outburst to go up 30-17 and then held the same 13-points cushion at halftime, 34-21.
 
Morgan State kept a double-digit edge throughout the third quarter and had its lead grow to as many as 20 in the frame before settling for a commanding 45-28 lead at the end of the period.
 
The Lady Eagles kept fighting for their playoff lives and started the fourth quarter with a 12-3 rally. The comeback included a three-point play by freshman Chantal Thomas, five consecutive points by junior Morgan Jones and a pair of layups by Dixon that inched NCCU to within eight at 48-40 with 6:13 left.
 
A pair of lay-ins by the Lady Bears on their next two possessions extended the favorites lead to a dozen at 52-40. MSU did not score again but its defense stepped up holding NCCU to just two points over the final six minutes to keep dancing with the 10-point triumph.
 
Dixon made half of NCCU's 16 made field goals. Jones netted eight points for the Lady Eagles and Thomas contributed seven points and six rebounds. No other NCCU player had more than one made basket.
 
Morgan State finished with a commanding 48-35 rebounding surplus and committed fewer turnovers, 16-11.