STATESBORO, Ga. — A North Carolina Central University women's basketball team that only had seven active players on Sunday threatened to pull out a tough road win against a Georgia Southern University squad that played twice many players before falling 73-65 inside Hanner Fieldhouse.
 
NCCU was clinging to a 59-58 lead with 5:08 left in the fourth quarter when sophomore leading scorer Anissa Rivera was whistled for her fifth foul. Freshman Daeja Holmes made the ensuing free throws to propel Georgia Southern into the lead and she then hit a 3-pointer just after the final media timeout to start a 15-6 closing run by the victors.
 
Georgia Southern moved over .500 on the season at 11-10 after completing the two-game weekend sweep.
 
NCCU made half of their 3-point attempts in the first quarter with senior Necole Hope, sophomore Faith Williams, freshman Promise Cunningham and sophomore Madalyn Anderson all cashing in from long range in the opening period to help jump out to a 23-9 advantage.
 
However, NCCU would miss its next 11 tries from behind the arc.
 
Williams, who played all 20 minutes in the first half and 39 total minutes, made a layup with 5:41 left in the second quarter to provide the visiting Eagles with their largest lead of the game of 30-14.
 
Georgia Southern rallied by outscoring NCCU 17-5 for the rest of the second quarter to pull within four, 35-31, at halftime.
 
The host Eagles kept the momentum after the intermission and kept NCCU off the scoreboard for the first four minutes of the second half. Georgia Southern scored seven unanswered points during that stretch to take its first lead of the day at 38-35.
 
Georgia Southern increased its lead to as many as six points in the third quarter before NCCU closed the period on an 11-1 run to regain a four-point edge, 52-48, going into the fourth quarter. A three-point play by junior Kiyana Brown highlighted the rally.
 
The contest remained close in the fourth quarter with Anderson sinking her third 3-pointer of the day with 5:08 left to give NCCU its last lead at 59-58. Anderson finished with a season-high nine points.
 
Rivera, who led the Eagles with 16 points and seven rebounds, fouled out seven seconds later. Holmes scored the next five points in the close contest to put Georgia Southern ahead for good.
 
A three-point play Hope on a fast-break opportunity pulled NCCU within one point, 63-62, with 3:02 left, but a turnaround jumper by senior Sarah Moore on GS's ensuing play kept the home team ahead. A potential tying 3-point attempt missed its mark and Georgia Southern took advantage of some late free throws to seal the much closer 8-point win after defeating NCCU by 24 points on Saturday.
 
Hope finished with 13 points and Williams scored in double digits for a second straight day with 10 points while adding five assists and four steals. Cunningham followed with eight points. Brown chipped in five points, six rebounds and four steals.
 
Holmes scored a game-high 19 points and Moore completed a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
 
Georgia Southern once again dominated the glass with a 55-33 rebounding advantage. Foul trouble also hurt NCCU with Rivera fouling out and three of the remaining six active players finishing with four fouls.
 
NC Central (3-8 Overall) will return to Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Southern Division play when the Eagles visit rival North Carolina A&T State University for two games on Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 27-28.