DURHAM, N.C. — Junior guard Kieche White scored 19 points in her return to the North Carolina Central University women's basketball lineup, including hitting a game-tying basket with 13.7 seconds left in the contest, but visiting Delaware State University scored the final four points to escape from McDougald-McLendon Arena with a 64-60 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference victory Saturday afternoon.
 
White drove the right lane and nailed the tying layup while being fouled. However, she missed the free throw to put NCCU ahead and Delaware State came down with the rebound.
 
Senior Lanayjha Ashe answered on the ensuing Hornets possession by weaving through the lane and banking in the game-winning layup with just 4.9 seconds left.
 
The Eagles quickly called a timeout to advance the ball into their offensive half of the court, but NCCU was struggling to inbound the ball and called another timeout. The Eagles did not have any more timeouts after the first timeout, which resulted in an automatic technical foul.
 
Ashe, who scored 18 points, made 2-of-4 free throws on that following sequence to seal the victors triumph. DSU (7-10 Overall, 3-1 MEAC) received a game-high 21 points from Sharajah Collins. Senior Tierra Floyd was a third Hornet player in double figures scoring with 13 points.

White scored 13 of her team-high 19 points in the second half to rally the Eagles from a 29-23 halftime deficit.
 
The Eagles held 14-12 edge after the first quarter of play by making half of their shots (6-12). However, NCCU cooled off in the second quarter, making just two field goals on 12 attempts in the period for 16.7-percent. The Hornets swished a trio of 3-pointers in the stanza to outscore the Eagles 17-9 and hold a six-point advantage at the midway break.
 
NCCU trailed by as many as 11 points in the third quarter before using a 16-4 run to pull ahead by one point. Freshman Madalyn Anderson started the run with a three-point play and she capped it with a go-ahead jumper. The rally also featured seven consecutive points by White. However, NCCU fouled Ashe on a 3-point attempt in the final moments and she made all three free throws to put DSU back ahead, 45-43, going into the final quarter.
 
The Hornets held a slim lead for nearly all of the final 10-minute quarter other than for a few moments when a sophomore Ashlyn Lockard hoop put NCCU in front by one point for 30 seconds midway through the period. The only tie of the final frame was on White's equalizing lay-in with 13.7 seconds to go.
 
Anderson made all five of her field goal attempts on the way to a dozen points. Senior Paulina Afriyie reached the 10-plus point plateau for a seventh straight game with 10 points.
 
NCCU controlled the backboards, 44-37, with Afriyie completing her fifth double-double of the season with a game-high 11 rebounds. Two-time reigning MEAC Rookie of the Week freshman Anissa Rivera also contributed 10 boards for the maroon and gray.
 
NC Central will continue its home stand by hosting MEAC foe South Carolina State University on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 2 p.m.