NORFOLK, Va. – Junior forward Aniya Finger posted a double-double in leading the third-seeded North Carolina Central University women's basketball team to a 66-56 victory over sixth-seeded Delaware State University in the quarterfinals of the 2024 MEAC Basketball Tournament at the Norfolk Scope Arena on Thursday.
 
NC Central (16-14 Overall) has now locked up its first winning season since fully transitioning to NCAA Division I with the victory over the Hornets while also picking up a new modern era record 16th win.
 
The Eagles advance to the MEAC semifinals for a second straight season and will next play second-seeded Howard University on Friday, March 15 at 2 p.m., for a shot at advancing to the MEAC title game for the first time in program history.
 
Finger, who has missed 16 games this season due to injury, notched 12 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Finger, who now has seven career double-doubles for NCCU, tallied 10 of her 12 points in the second half to rally the Eagles to the postseason victory.
 
NCCU trailed by eight points in the second half, but outscored Delaware State (8-20) by a 24-10 margin in the fourth quarter to secure the triumph. Junior forward Morgan Callahan scored seven of her nine points in the fourth quarter and the Eagles shot 57.1 percent from the field over that span while holding the Hornets to just 23.1 percent to aid in the comeback.
 
Callahan just missed her own double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds.
 
NCCU received balanced scoring throughout its lineup with senior Kimeira Burks swishing a trio of 3-pointers on the way to a team-high 13 points. Classmate Tippy Roberston played a game-high 33 minutes and contributed six points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
 
Burks scored eight of NCCU's first 10 points before the first media timeout, including a pair of 3-pointers, to fly the Eagles out to an early 10-6 advantage. However, the Eagles were held to just 10 more points over the next 12 minutes of play and the Hornets stormed ahead 25-20 late in the second quarter.
 
Junior guard Janiah Jones was the spark the Eagles needed late in the half to level the score, 30-30, at halftime. Jones scored nine of NCCU's 10 points over the final three minutes of the second quarter. Her late surge included a three-pointer from the left wing, a driving layup, a deep basket from the left corner and a running hook shot in the paint.
 
Jones scored all 11 of her points in the first half to pace the Eagles into the halftime locker room.
 
DSU controlled the play for most of the third quarter, never trailing in that 10-minute stanza. The Hornets grabbed their largest lead of the day at 46-38, but a couple of layups by Finger trimmed that NCCU deficit in half 46-42 heading into the final frame.
 
The Eagles kept the momentum, scoring the first seven points of the fourth quarter to start the decisive stretch. Callahan scored five of those points while Robertson and Bryant capped a 13-2 run with back-to-back 3-pointers to push NCCU's advantage to seven points, 55-48. The Eagles kept making hoops from that point to eliminate Delaware State.
 
Denijsha Wilson and Savannah Brooks led the Hornets with 16 points apiece.
 
For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com, or download the NCCU Eagles Athletics app.