Box Score
DURHAM, N.C. — Freshman guard Kieche White scored a game-high 22 points and her two free throws with 34 seconds left put host North Carolina Central University up one point before visiting rival North Carolina A&T State University scored the showdown's final four points to escape with a 60-57 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) women's basketball victory Thursday evening in McDougald-McLendon Arena.
 
Senior forward Quenswayla Story hit the go-ahead jumper with 25.4 seconds left on a feed from classmate Kala Green. Story and Green each went 1-for-2 from the free throw line with 16.0 and 7.5 seconds left, respectively, to push the final margin of victory to three points.
 
The Eagles had a couple opportunities in the final moments, but a missed layup and a turnover doomed the upset bid.
 
NCCU (9-20 Overall, 7-9 MEAC) was picked last in the preseason coaches, but has finished the regular season in a tie for seventh place in the league standings with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. It's projected that the Hawks will get the head-to-head tiebreaker, making the Eagles the eighth seed in the 2018 MEAC Women's Basketball Championship Tournament at the Norfolk Scope Arena and will play ninth-seeded South Carolina State University in the opening round on Tuesday at 11 a.m.
 
North Carolina A&T (20-8, 15-1) secured a share of the regular season championship with Bethune-Cookman University with Thursday's win. The Aggies will be the top seed and will play the winner of the NCCU/SCSU game in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at Noon.
 
The Eagles flew out to a 14-2 advantage by forcing the Aggies into five early turnovers and making six of their first 11 shots. The opening outburst featured White scoring a couple layups around her own three-pointer. White then assisted a lay-in by freshman Alyssa Thompson that extended the hosts lead 12 points.
 
NCAT chipped away at the lead and only trailed 19-16 after the first quarter. A pair of hoops by juniors Deja McCain and Jayla Calhoun kept NCCU in front, 27-21, midway through the second quarter. However, the Aggies closed the period on a 9-2 run to hold a slim 30-29 edge at halftime.
 
White had a dozen points at the midway break.
 
The Eagles were able to tie the score three times in the third period, but were never able to pull ahead in the quarter. North Carolina A&T held a 36-34 lead going into the fourth quarter.
 
The Aggies extended their lead to seven points, 51-41, early in the last stanza NCCU scored the next six points. The two rivals then played the last five minutes within one possession of each other. White's two free throws with just 34 ticks left gave the maroon and gray their only lead of the half.
 
White scored her 22 points on 6-of-13 accuracy from the field and 9-of-12 precision from the free throw line. She matched junior Rodneysha Martin with four assists. Calhoun and junior Caira Benton each chipped in eight points while McCain tallied seven points and Martin tacked on six points and three steals. McCain led the hosts with nine rebounds and Benton pulled down eight boards.
 
Green and sophomore Shaantell Bostick led the Aggies with 15 points apiece. Bostick filled up the box score with seven rebounds and four assists. Sophomore Alexus Lessears yanked down a game-high 15 rebounds as NCAT finished with a 51-41 surplus on the glass.