DURHAM, N.C. — Forward Kierona Morton scored six points and grabbed four rebounds to highlight her Senior Day as the North Carolina Central University women's basketball team lost an 80-69 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) home game to University of Maryland Eastern Shore Saturday afternoon in McDougald-McLendon Arena.
 
The Hawks made a season-high 11 three-pointers on the way to their fifth win in their last seven games. Eastern Shore (9-16 Overall, 6-7 MEAC) shot 52.4-percent (11-21) from long range. A trio of Hawks accounted for all of their sharpshooting as junior Keyera Eaton scored a game-high 21 points with four made three-pointers, junior Ciani Byrom canned 18 points with four treys and senior Alexus Hicks chipped in 16 points with a trio of triples.
 
Sophomore Paulina Afriyie was one rebound shy of a double-double as she paced the Eagles with 16 points and nine rebounds. All 12 Eagles scored for a second straight game with juniors Jayla Calhoun (9 points), Rodneysha Martin (8 points) and Caira Benton (7 points) combining for 24 points. Freshman Kieche White matched Morton with six points and she distributed five assists.
 
NCCU only held a lead in the first quarter. A three-pointer by Martin and a layup by Benton gave NCCU an early 5-2 edge. Benton made the front end of two free throws to tie the contest for the final time at 10-all before the Hawks scored the final five points of the period.
 
Eastern Shore drained seven of their 11 trifectas in the second quarter. The hot-handed Hawks raced out to a 45-27 halftime advantage by outscoring the Eagles 30-17 in the period. The visitors advantage grew to as many as 31 late in the third quarter, 69-38, before NCCU dominated play in the fourth quarter to close the final margin of defeat to 11 points.
 
Afriyie scored 10 of her 15 points in the fourth quarter as the Eagles outscored the Shore, 27-11, over final 10 minutes.
 
The Hawks dominated the backboards against NCCU (46-37) for a second straight time this season to complete the regular-season series sweep. Freshmna Bairesha Gill-Miles, who only played three minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, paced Eastern Shore with 12 rebounds.
 
NCCU (6-19, 4-8) next hosts Howard University on Monday at 4 p.m.