TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Freshman guard Kieche White scored a game-high 24 points, but her potential game-tying, 3-point try at the end of overtime was blocked by freshman De'Ayra Davis to lift host Florida A&M University to a narrow 84-81 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference women's basketball victory over North Carolina Central University late Saturday afternoon in the Al Lawson Center.
 
Junior Rodneysha Martin used a shooters-touch bounce on a 12-foot jumper to give NCCU its last lead at 79-78 with 2:15 left in overtime before a pair of baskets by senior Shakeyrra Morrison and junior Florence Ouattara put the Rattlers ahead for good.
 
White kept the Eagles hopes alive when she drove to the basket and finished off a difficult layup while being fouled. However, she missed the ensuing free throw to keep FAMU up one. A couple following free throws by Davis with 22.6 seconds reclaimed a three-point edge for the Rattlers.
 
NCCU went for a quick two-pointer, but was off the mark. FAMU could seal the victory from the free throw line with seven seconds left, but both tries by senior Ecenur Yurdakul were off the mark. The Eagles raced up the court and White launched a quick equalizer that Davis was able to defend with the big block.
 
Florida A&M (5-19 Overall, 3-8) ended a six-game losing streak after rallying from an 11-point halftime deficit. NCCU (6-17, 4-6) continued its road struggles (1-13).
 
White sank nine of her 20 field goal attempts on the way to her 24 points. Junior Caira Benton complimented White with her second double-double of 11 points and a season-high 10 rebounds while coming up with a game-high five steals. Martin and sophomore Paulina Afriyie each added 12 points.
 
The Rattlers held an 18-15 edge after one quarter of play before NCCU looked to take control in the second quarter. The first 10 minutes of play had six lead changes. White scored 11 points in that period and then sank a 3-pointer to start the second quarter. White's trey ignited a 17-2 run by the Eagles.  
 
FAMU was held without a field goal for nearly seven minutes and Benton poured in seven points during the NCCU outburst. The Eagles led 36-25 at halftime behind 48.1-percent accuracy from the field. The Rattlers were held to an icy 25-percent shooting in the first half. Benton added five rebounds and four steals to her seven points at the midway point.
 
A heavily whistled third quarter allowed the Rattlers to slither back into contention. NCCU was called for 15 fouls in the period which led to FAMU making 14 free throws on 23 attempts over that span. The hosts ended up with 18 more shots from the charity stripe than the Eagles, 41-23.
 
NCCU still led 51-48 after the third quarter, but the two teams would be in a battle from that point. The Rattlers would eventually take a late 68-64 lead before Benton scored four points in rapid succession to level the score. After converting two free throws, Benton made a steal at midcourt and turned it into two easy transition points.
 
White put NCCU up one last time in regulation with a three-pointer from the right wing. Yurdakul had the response with a trey with just 1:06 left. Both teams were unsuccessful on two possessions apiece in the final minute to extend the contest to a five-minute overtime period.
 
The showdown featured 16 lead changes and eight ties. Half of those lead exchanges occurred in OT as NCCU shot 5-8 (62.5%) from the floor and FAMU went 5-7 (71.4%). Afriyie led the visitors with four points in OT and Yurdakul tallied five points for the victors.
 
Ouattara paced the Rattlers with 20 points and Yurdakul and Morrison followed with 17 point performances. Morrison added a game-high 12 rebounds for a double-double.
 
White made a trio of 3-pointers and added a game-high four assists. Freshman Alyssa Thompson had a strong showing with eight points, eight rebounds and three blocks.
 
NCCU will next visit MEAC frontrunner Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Monday at 5:30 p.m.