BALTIMORE, Md. — Junior guard Kieche White scored a game-high 20 points and senior forward Paulina Afriyie tallied her seventh double-double of the season in leading the North Carolina Central University women's basketball team to a 58-44 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) road win at Coppin State University on Saturday.
 
It was arguably NCCU's best defensive effort of the season with a 50-33 rebounding advantage, eight blocks and holding CSU to just 20.3-percent shooting from the field. The 44 points allowed by the NCCU defense is also a season-low amount.
 
In the battle of two Eagle programs, Coppin State only trailed by five points in the fourth quarter before NCCU closed out the game on an 18-9 run.
 
White helped NC Central clinch the win, scoring 13 of her game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter. White, who reached the 20-plus point mark for a third time this season, was clutch from the free throw line. She made all nine of her attempts from the charity stripe, including eight tries in the fourth quarter.
 
NCCU relied on its starters as the starting quartet accounted for 51 of teams 58 points. Afriyie was the only other maroon and gray player to reach double digits with 11 points. Afriyie also had game-high marks of 12 rebounds and three blocks as she notched her seventh double-double of the campaign (24th career double-double).
 
The other three starters all contributed throughout the contest. Sophomore Ashlyn Lockard logged nine points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Junior Zaria Atkins netted eight points, dished out five assists and came up with two steals. Freshman Anissa Rivera was held to just three points, but she matched Afriyie for game-high rebounding honors with a dozen boards.
 
CSU held its only lead at 4-3 before Lockard, who scored NCCU's first five points, drilled a deep jumper to put the visiting Eagles ahead for good. Lockard gave NC Central the initial lead with a layup off the opening tip just three seconds into play. Coppin State only led for a total of 17 seconds all game.
 
NCCU maintained a single digit edge for the rest of the half, including leads of 15-9 after the first quarter and 28-23 edge after two periods of play.
 
Afriyie scored six points in the second quarter and led all players into the locker room with eight points. She was also closing in on a double-double at that point with eight rebounds over the first 20 minutes.
 
NCCU's defense held Coppin State to just one made field goal in the third quarter in doubling up the host Eagles, 12-6, in the quarter to extend its lead to 40-29.
 
A 6-0 run by CSU over the first 75 seconds of the fourth quarter slashed the NCCU lead to just five points, 40-35. After a timeout, Atkins scored on the victorious Eagles next ensuing possession to spark the closing 18-9 surge. White scored 13 points from that point as NCCU pulled away to its largest lead of 14 points at the final buzzer.
 
NC Central (7-15, 4-5) will remain in Baltimore to play another MEAC tilt at Morgan State University on Monday at 5:30 p.m. CSU (0-22, 0-10) remained winless on the season.