DURHAM, N.C. — The North Carolina Central University women's basketball team led for most of the contest in its attempt to knock off one of the co-leaders in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, but visiting Norfolk State University finished the game on a 22-8 run to escape McDougald-McLendon Arena with an 83-75 win Monday afternoon.
 
Senior forward Paulina Afriyie paced the Eagles with her sixth double-double of the season. Afriyie, who has scored in double digits in nine straight games, topped NCCU with 19 points, 10 rebounds and three steals. Junior Kieche White and freshman Anissa Rivera followed with 18 and 15 points, respectively. Rivera just missed her own double-double with eight rebounds while completing a strong performance with five blocks, three steals and two assists.
 
NCCU pulled out to a 17-point lead after the first quarter, 30-13, as the Eagles made half of their shots.
 
The early success featured NCCU starting the contest on a 14-3 run, forcing the Spartans to call an early timeout. Rivera and freshman Madalyn Anderson each drilled a pair of 3-pointers as the Eagles flew out to their double-digit advantage.
 
Norfolk State used a 12-0 run in the second quarter to pull within five points and the Spartans shot 61.5-percent in the second period, but NCCU scored the final four points of the half to reestablish a 10-point edge at the midway point. Junior Zaria Atkins made a driving pull-up jumper in the paint in the final minute to send the Eagles into the locker room leading 42-32.
 
Rivera scored all 15 of her points in the opening 20 minutes.
 
Senior La'Deja James, who scored a career-high 36 points for the Spartans, caught fire in the third quarter. She scored 17 of NSU's 25 points in the period and pulled the visitors to within four, 61-57, after three periods.
 
A trio of baskets by White early in the fourth quarter helped keep NCCU ahead by a half dozen points, 67-61, with 6:54 left in the fourth before the Spartans started their decisive rally.
 
A made free throw by senior Mikaela Jones provided Norfolk State with its first lead of the contest, 70-69, with just 3:29 to play. The Spartans never relinquished the lead from that point, despite a few unsuccessful chances by the Eagles to level the score late.
 
Norfolk State (13-8 Overall, 7-1 MEAC) finished the day shooting 54.9-percent from the field, eight 3-pointers at 53.3-percent precision. NCCU (6-15, 3-5) cooled off after the first quarter, going 35.8-percent from the field, including just 22.7-percent from behind the arc.
 
Anderson chipped in nine points and Atkins tallied seven points and three assists.
 
NC Central next goes on the road to battle MEAC foe Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland, on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m.