DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University women's basketball team was outscored 22-7 in the fourth quarter in dropping a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) home game to Coppin State University by a final score of 66-43 in a rescheduled contest on Wednesday evening inside McDougald-McLendon Arena.
Freshman
Nia Ford made the opening basket of the fourth quarter to pull NCCU within two possessions, but CSU then held the home team to just two more baskets over the final eight minutes to remain undefeated in league play after scoring 22 of the final 27 points.
Coppin State jumped over .500 on the season at 8-7 and moved to 2-0 against conference competition with after using balanced scoring and controlling the backboards.
Freshman
Diamond Thomas was the only maroon and gray player to score in double digits. Thomas finished with 11 points, but was just 4-of-18 from the field as NCCU shot 26.2-percent from the floor as a team.
Junior
Nyasia Palmer chipped in five points and corralled a career-best nine rebounds. Senior
Ashlyn Lockard tallied eight points and six rebounds; junior
Kira Lowery chipped in six points and seven rebounds; and sophomore
Tianna Carter totaled five points, five rebounds and two blocks.
Coppin State led for most of the first half, but never had a lead more than seven points over that stretch.
Palmer drilled a 3-pointer at the 1:53 mark of the first quarter to give NCCU its first lead of the contest. After CSU scored, Thomas made a pull-up jumper to give the host Eagles narrow 12-11 edge after 10 minutes of play, which proved to be the final lead for NCCU.
Trailing by two, Palmer converted on a driving layup to tie the contest for the only time at 14-14 early in the second quarter before CSU scored the next four points to regain the lead for good. Coppin State continued to cling to a four points lead (28-24) at halftime with junior center Jalynda Salley pacing the squad into the locker room with eight points and seven rebounds.
Salley would not score in the second half, but she did finish with a game-high 11 rebounds as Coppin State finished with a 59-40 rebounding advantage.
The visitors secured their first double-digit lead of the game in the third quarter, but an old-fashion three-point play Lockard and a 3-pointer by Thomas helped pull NCCU back within two possessions before settling for an eight-point deficit of 44-36 after three quarters of play.
Ford added her hoop at the 8:37 mark of the fourth quarter to pull NCCU within six, 44-38. Coppin State responded by scoring 10 unanswered points to reclaim a comfortable lead down the stretch. CSU struggled shooting in the first half, but found its touch in the fourth quarter at a 46.7-percent clip to pull away for the 23-point victory.
A total of four Coppin State players scored in double figures. Junior Aliyah Lawson made a trio of treys on the way to a game-high 14 points; Senior Jaia Alexander just missed a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds; sophomore Mossi Staples netted 11 points and made three steals; and freshman Jewel Watkins swished 10 points.
NC Central is next scheduled to play at Delaware State University in a MEAC tilt on Saturday at 2 p.m.
