TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — North Carolina Central University overcame an eight-point halftime deficit by shooting 63.2-percent in the second half to secure a 64-57 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) road win at Florida A&M University Monday afternoon.
 
Junior Paulina Afriyie notched a double-double to pace the victors with game-high totals of 18 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Rodneysha Martin was 7-for-8 from the free throw line in the second half on her way to 16 points. Senior Caira Benton tallied eight of her 10 points in the second half to give NCCU three double-digit scorers.
 
NCCU improved to 6-16 on the season and 3-6 in the league. FAMU dropped to 3-18 and 1-8.
 
NCCU led for most of a close, low-scoring first quarter that featured four ties. A pair of layups by sophomore Zaria Atkins and Afriyie broke the last tie of 8-8 and helped the Eagles lead 12-11 after one quarter of play.
 
The Rattlers started the second quarter on a 7-0 run to slither ahead for the rest of the half. Afriyie led NCCU with 10 points at halftime and her layup at the 4:05 mark pulled the Eagles deficit to just two points at 25-23. However, another 8-0 FAMU run helped the hosts extend its advantage to 33-25 at halftime.
 
FAMU freshman Mya Moye led all players into the locker room with 13 points. She was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, including all three tries from behind the arc, over the first 20 minutes. FAMU also doubled up NCCU, 16-8, in points off turnovers in the first half.
 
The Eagles started the second half on a 15-3 run to fly back into the lead. The run featured two more baskets by Afriyie and was capped with two made free throws by junior Shontai Totten at the 3:54 mark. The two teams traded points for the rest of the period and two made free throws by sophomore Morgan Mitchell with less than a second left on the clock gave Florida A&M its last lead of 45-44 going into the fourth quarter.
 
NCCU scored the first three baskets of the final stanza to regain the lead for good. That outburst started a 15-2 run as the Rattlers missed their first 10 field goal attempts of the quarter. Benton swished a trio of jumpers during the decisive run and Martin made five free throws in the final minute to seal the seven-point triumph.
 
Afriyie made nearly half her shots (8-17) on the way to 18 points. Martin has now scored in double-digits in 12 of her first 15 games this season after tallying 16 points. Martin and Afriyie combined for seven steals with four and three thefts, respectively. Atkins and freshman Kiyana Brown both scored seven points as NCCU's starters scored 58 of the teams' 64 points. Totten accounted for all six bench points. Martin's performance also included four assists while Atkins and Brown each added three dimes.  
 
NCCU's defense stepped up in the second half and held Moye a two-time MEAC Rookie of the Week this season, without a made field goal after the midway break. Moye made just two free throws in the fourth quarter, but she still finished with a team-high 15 points. Junior Dy'Manee Royal tacked on a double-double for the Rattlers with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
 
NC Central returns home to host University of Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday at 2 p.m.