Aniya Finger vs. UNC Asheville 2025
Juan Richardson
Aniya Finger Tied A Career-High With 21 Points
70
N.C. Central NCCU 3-13,0-3 MEAC
77
Winner Coppin St. Coppin 4-14,2-1 MEAC
N.C. Central NCCU
3-13,0-3 MEAC
70
Final
77
Coppin St. Coppin
4-14,2-1 MEAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
N.C. Central NCCU 4 23 18 25 70
Coppin St. Coppin 19 21 19 18 77

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | NCCU Athletic Communications

Finger, Callahan Lead Late Rally But Eagles Fall To Coppin State

BALTIMORE, Md. – Aniya Finger scored 21 points and Morgan Callahan added 18 points and 10 rebounds but a late run by North Carolina Central fell just short in a 77-70 MEAC women's basketball loss to Coppin State at Physical Education Complex Arena on Saturday.

The Eagles fell to 3-13 overall including 0-3 in the MEAC. Coppin State improved to 4-14 and 2-1 in the conference.

Coppin State opened a 19-2 first-quarter lead and never trailed but NCCU made it interesting in the fourth quarter. The Eagles, down by 15 points, mounted a furious rally with their pressure defense. NCCU forced 10 Coppin State turnovers which led to 11 points in the final quarter.

Asya Hinton capped a 22-12 run with a deep three-pointer to close the gap to 75-70 with 35 seconds left. Finger and Callahan combined to score 13 points during the spurt.

But Coppin State hit two free throws with 25 seconds remaining and the Eagles missed their last two shots, including a three-point attempt, to end the contest.

Natalie Jasper and Hinton both scored nine points and Nia Young chipped in seven points for the Eagles, who scored a season-high 70 points against a Division I team. Finger added seven rebounds and MEAC assist leader Najah Lane handed out six assists. Finger tied a career-high in points and Callahan recorded the 23rd double-double of her career.

Keyed by the inside tandem of Finger and Callahan, the Eagles outscored Coppin State 20-2 in the paint and 14-5 in second chance points in the second half. They combined to score 25 of the NCCU's 43 second-half points.

The Eagles, led by their two forwards, nearly overcame hot shooting by Coppin State, which shot 71.4 percent from three-point range (5 of 7) in the first quarter to build a 17-point lead. Overall, the visitors shot 11 of 26 for 42.3 percent from long range.

The Eagles shot 8 of 13 from the field for 61.5 percent in the second quarter to cut into the deficit. Hinton canned a three-pointer in the second quarter to trim the margin to 28-19. Dianna Blake added two buckets to get the Eagles within 30-23 but Coppin State closed the half on a 10-4 run to push its lead back to double digits.

The trio of Finger, Callahan and Hinton each scored six points in the first half for the Eagles.

Both teams were nearly even in shooting percentage and turnovers. NCCU shot 43.6 percent and committed 24 turnovers compared to 43.5 percent and 27 turnovers for Coppin State.

NEXT UP
The Eagles return home to host Howard on Saturday, Jan. 17, at 2 p.m. The contest will be the first of three straight at McDougald-McLendon Arena.

For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.
 
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