DURHAM, N.C. — The North Carolina Central University women's basketball team was unable to recover from a slow start in dropping a 62-53 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) showdown against Hampton University on Monday afternoon in McDougald-McLendon Arena.
 
Sophomore forward Paulina Afriyie notched her seventh double-double to pace the Eagles. Afriyie's second straight double-double consisted of 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
Freshman guard Kieche White bucketed 16 points behind four 3-pointers and junior Caira Benton netted 10 points. Benton, junior Deja McCain and freshman Alyssa Thompson all added six rebounds.
 
The Pirates scored the contest's first five points on a jumper by senior Monnazjea Finney-Smith and a three-pointer by senior Jephany Brown. Hampton would never relinquish the lead. Hampton held a 10-point edge after the first quarter, 17-7, and a 12-point advantage at halftime, 32-20.
 
Finney-Smith led all players into the locker room with 14 points. White made a trio of three-pointers in the first half to keep NCCU within striking distance heading into the second half.
 
The visitors were able to secure at double-digit lead at the midway point by shooting 44.8-percent (13-29) from the field while holding the Eagles to just 23.3-percent (7-30).
 
Hampton padded its lead to as many as 18 points, 57-39, at the 8:53 mark of the fourth quarter. NCCU outscored the Pirates 14-5 from that point to close the final margin of defeat to nine points.
 
The Pirates leveled their overall record to 11-11 while increasing their mark in league skirmishes to 7-2. The Eagles dipped to 6-16 and 4-5.
 
Finney-Smith was held scoreless in the second half, but still flirted with a double-double behind 14 points and eight rebounds. Senior Mikayla Sayle led all players with 17 points, which was a career-high sum. Brown and sophomore Ashley Bates also reached double digits in the scoring column for the visitors with 11 points apiece.
 
Senior Allina Starr orchestrated the Pirates offense with a season-high 10 assists.
 
White contributed four helpers for the hosts and Martin dished out three dimes and made three steals.
 
The two teams played an even contest in most facets of the game as both squads had 42 rebounds and 16 turnovers. However, NCCU's cold shooting in the first half cost the Eagles a chance at upsetting the defending league champions for their fourth straight home win.
 
NCCU next visiting Florida A&M University in Tallahassee on Saturday at 4 p.m.