DURHAM, N.C. — Senior guard Caira Benton scored a season-high 19 points to pace the North Carolina Central University women's basketball team in a 72-60 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) loss to South Carolina State University on Monday afternoon in McDougald-McLendon Arena.
 
The Lady Bulldogs shot a solid 45.9-percent to pick up the road triumph. SC State leveled both its overall record at 14-14 and its league ledger at 7-7.
 
The Eagles took more shots than the visitors, but were not as accurate at 36.9-percent. NCCU was unable to secure its third straight home win to fall to 8-20 and 5-10.
 
Benton did have NCCU's lone hot hand as she swished nine of her 10 field goal attempts (90%) on the way to her team-high 19 points. Every other Eagle missed the majority of their tries from the field. Benton finished just two points shy of her career-high total of 21 points. The Duarte, California, product also contributed a team-high six rebounds along with two assists and two steals.
 
NCCU started the contest on an 8-4 run with Benton making the first and last basket during the early surge. However, South Carolina State scored the next 15 points to push ahead 19-8. The Eagles were held without a made field goal for the next seven minutes until junior Shontai Tottten made a layup in the final minute of the first quarter. Benton added another baseline jumper as time was expiring to pull NCCU within four, 19-15, after 10 minutes.
 
The Eagles got to within two midway through the second quarter as a layup by junior Paulina Afriyie at the 4:26 mark closed the score to 27-25. The Lady Bulldogs barked back and closed the half on an 11-2 run to extend their lead back to 11 points (38-27) at the intermission.
 
NCCU outscored SCSU 17-13 in the third quarter to only trail by seven, 51-44, going into the final period. Benton had seven points for the Eagles during that span.
 
The Lady Bulldogs scored the first hoop of the fourth quarter. NCCU was able to pull within seven points on two more occasions early in the quarter, but South Carolina State shot 70-percent in the last stanza to key the Eagles at bay.
 
Senior Dashanique Peterson led the victors with 17 points. Junior Taylor Brown and senior Rhein Beamon each added 12 points. Brown and Beamon also combined for 15 rebounds as SCSU outrebounded NCCU by 10 (44-34).
 
Afriyie scored in double digits for an eighth straight game, finishing with 18 points. She also totaled five rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals. Junior Kieche White was NCCU's third double-digit scorer at 10 points. White also tallied a game-high seven assists.
 
NC Central will conclude its regular season slate at MEAC archrival North Carolina A&T State University on Thursday, March 7 at 5:30 p.m.