NORFOLK, Va. – No. 5 seed North Carolina Central nearly rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit but the game slipped away from the Eagles in a 57-48 MEAC Tournament women's basketball quarterfinal loss to No. 4 seed Coppin State at the Norfolk Scope on Thursday.

Tierney Coleman scored 11 points for the Eagles, whose season ended at 9-21 overall. NCCU battled injuries at the start of the season but returns the bulk of its team next season.

"I am proud of my team," NCCU Head Coach Terrence Baxter said. "Nobody expected us to win five games this year. We played one of the toughest schedules in the nation. We played Power Four teams including LSU and North Carolina [also Tennessee and Florida State]. We played well down the stretch. I felt like we could have finished third but we had some moments, as you saw, where we turned the ball over five to eight straight minutes all the time. Killer turnovers. And then we go through droughts where we can't rebound the basketball. But we learned. We have pretty much everybody coming back."

The Eagles trailed 46-36 early in the fourth but closed within 46-44 on an 8-0 run capped by two Morgan Callahan free throws with over three minutes left. Coppin State (18-13) finished on an 11-4 run to reach Friday's semifinals against Norfolk State.

Kyla Bryant, Aysia Hinton and Callahan each scored eight points for NCCU, which suffered 24 turnovers and lost the rebounding battle 48-27. Callahan added eight rebounds, five steals and two blocks.

Coppin State converted 20 offensive rebounds into 14 second-chance points which helped it overcome an eight-point second-quarter deficit and build a 10-point fourth period lead. Coppin State outscored NCCU 21-14 in third quarter.

The Eagles, with four sophomores and four freshmen on the roster, kept battling despite falling behind in the second half after leading 22-21 at halftime. They scored 20 points off 24 Coppin State turnovers overall.

Both teams played with the intensity expected of a tournament game. The players dove for loose balls and fought for rebounds in a frenetic first half.

Coppin State scored the first four points but the Eagles found their mark in the second quarter. Victoria Morris scored on a three-point play for a 17-12 Eagles' lead. Coleman later drained a three-pointer for NCCU's biggest lead, 22-14. The Eagles shot 44.4 percent in the second quarter.

But turnovers piled up on the Eagles, who were scoreless in the last 5:30 of the half. Coppin State went through a three-minute stretch without scoring but capitalized on 11 offensive rebounds and 12 NCCU turnovers to climb back within one point at halftime.

Coleman came off the bench to score six first-half points for the Eagles, who limited Coppin State to 28.1 percent first-half shooting. Hinton added five points and Callahan contributed four points, five rebounds, three steals and one block.

The Eagles return their top players next season including Bryant, a two-time All-MEAC guard who wore a mask to protect a broken nose. MEAC All-Rookie guard Shakiria Foster and MEAC All-Defensive guard/forward Jada Tiggett will be back as well. It Is a possible that Callahan, a two-time MEAC All-Conference and All-Defensive forward, may return.

Several players who missed all or most of the season are expected to return. 

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