DURHAM, N.C - On a night when Morgan Callahan became the program's scoring leader in the Division I era, Aysia Hinton and Tierney Coleman made clutch plays in overtime to lift North Carolina Central over Morgan State at McDougald-McLendon Arena on Thursday.
Hinton's dramatic three-pointer and Coleman's free throw in the final seconds of overtime secured a 66-63 MEAC women's basketball victory. The Eagles (3-5 MEAC, 7-15) have won three of their last four conference games since starting 0-4.
This night will be remembered for Callahan breaking the program's Division I scoring record and for the heroics of Hinton and Coleman. Morgan State (2-7 MEAC, 3-22) whittled away at a 15-point halftime deficit and led 63-60 in overtime.
The Eagles pulled within one point on two Coleman free throws then retook the lead 65-63 in dramatic fashion on Hinton's three-pointer with 11 seconds left off Coleman's steal. Coleman, who assisted on Hinton's trey, added a free throw with two seconds remaining to cap a 6-0 game-clinching run.
Callahan paced the Eagles with 22 points and 13 rebounds in recording her 26th double-double of the season. Aniya Finger added 14 points and both Hinton and Natalie Jasper each scored 10 points. Coleman totaled eight points, eight assists, six rebounds and two steals. The eight assists are a career-high for Coleman.
Needing only 11 points to surpass the previous mark, Callahan set the record on a free throw midway in the second quarter. She now has 1,308 points in her career.
The NCCU forward scored 17 first-half points, including 15 in the second quarter, to lead the Eagles to a 41-26 lead at the break.
But Morgan State rallied back in the second half like it did in a 64-63 victory the first time they met last month in Baltimore. The Bears cut the margin to 50-45 at the end of the third quarter and opened the fourth quarter with an 11-0 run for a 56-50 lead.
The Eagles then went on a run of its own, scoring six straight points to tie the game on Finger's layup. The score was tied again at 58-58 and 60-60 at the end of regulation.
Morgan State gained early momentum in overtime with a 63-60 lead. The Eagles finished strong down the stretch for a different result this time.
