DURHAM, N.C. – For a second straight game, freshman guard
Diamond Thomas scored a career-high in points for the North Carolina Central University women's basketball team. This time, Thomas scored 27 points in a 66-55 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) home loss to preseason favorite Howard University on Saturday afternoon inside McDougald-McLendon Arena.
Thomas swished six 3-pointers on her way to being the high scorer in the game with 27 points. She nearly recorded her first collegiate double-double as well with a season-high eight rebounds.
After draining her sixth and final trey at the 5:07 mark of the fourth quarter to pull the Eagles within sixth points, but it proved to be the last field goal for the maroon and gray and the Bison were able to close out an 11-point victory on a 7-2 run.
Howard (9-7 Overall, 3-1 MEAC) was led by sophomore forward Anzhane' Hutton, who recorded a double-double with 19 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
A 3-pointer from the left wing by Thomas and a second-chance layup by sophomore
Taylor Williams helped push NCCU out to a quick 7-2 lead. However, Howard scored the next 11 points unanswered to take the lead for the rest of the first half.
The Bison never led by more than eight points in the first half and the Eagles pulled to within one point a couple of times in the second quarter before going into the locker room trailing by four points.
Thomas scored 15 points in the first half to lead all players, including a pair of free throws with 2.3 seconds left to inch the halftime deficit to 36-32.
NCCU started the second half just like the first half with a 7-2 run. Sophomore
Paris McBride capped the surge with a deep baseline jumper in the right corner to give the Eagles their last lead at 39-38.
Howard outscored NCCU by a 12-3 margin over the next seven minutes to take a 50-42 advantage into the fourth quarter. The Eagles inched within six points to make it a two-possession game twice in the fourth quarter, but the late shooting woes allowed the Bison to stay in front.
NCCU shot just 29.1-percent in the game, including 18.8-percent in the fourth quarter, compared to 40.7-percent precision by Howard.
Junior
Kira Lowery scored in double digits for a third straight game, bucketing 11 points for the Eagles. Lowery also contributed seven rebounds, seven assists and five steals. Sophomore
Taylor Williams posted six points and team-high nine rebounds. McBride finished with seven points and three assists for an NCCU squad that only had seven active players.
NC Central (2-13 Overall, 1-5 MEAC) is currently next scheduled to play its last non-conference game of the season when the Eagles host St. Andrews University on Monday, Feb. 7 at 5:30 p.m.
