Box Score DURHAM, N.C. – Morgan Jones scored a career-high 25 points and North Carolina Central withstood a last-second 3-pointer by Norfolk State that went awry as the Eagles held off the Spartans 63-62 on Saturday afternoon at McDougald-McLendon Arena.
Jones hit a pair of free throws with 15 seconds left to give the Eagles (3-12, 2-3 MEAC) a 63-60 lead. NSU (0-15, 0-5) forward
Siobhan Beslow answered at the other end with a jumper with seven seconds remaining to cut the NCCU lead to one point. Kristin Askew had a chance to push the lead back to three for the Eagles, but she missed both free throws. Beslow rebounded and NSU got the ball ahead to
Kiara Phillips, but she missed a long 3-point attempt from the left wing that would have won the game at the buzzer, keeping NSU winless on the year.
Yazmen Hannah scored 17 points, Beslow had 16 and 12 rebounds, and Phillips tallied 15 points for the Spartans, who led 48-44 entering the final period.
Phillips' second 3-pointer of the night with 20 seconds left in the third quarter capped a 9-1 NSU spurt to close the period and gave NSU the four-point edge entering the fourth quarter. The final period ebbed and flowed. Jones hit three early treys in a 9-1 run to put the Eagles on top, 53-50, with 7:29 left.
Then it was NSU's turn. The Spartans scored the next six points on a jumper by Beslow and two layups by Hannah to take a 56-53 lead. But Tyshay Britten's two free throws with 4:18 left on the clock gave the Eagles the lead for good, and Jones' layup extended the lead back to three at 59-56.
NSU got within one on three other occasions. But the Spartans turned the ball over with 18 seconds left trailing 61-60, and Jones hit two foul shots to push the NCCU advantage to 63-60. The Eagles then held on despite a game effort from NSU in the closing seconds.
Neither team led by more than five points in a tight first half. The Spartans hit 50 percent from the floor (7-of-14) to take an 18-17 lead after the first quarter, but struggled to a 23.5 percent (4-of-17) second quarter. Jones hit a jumper just before the halftime buzzer to give NCCU a 29-27 edge entering the intermission.
Hannah hit 7-of-14 from the floor and Beslow made 7-of-12 on the afternoon for the Spartans. Beslow also notched her seventh double-double of the year and was credited with four of NSU's 10 steals. Phillips was 2-of-6 from long distance and added three assists.
Koryn Lawrence handed out a team-high six assists for NSU, and
Kieera Basey added four.
Shayla Tanner blocked a career-best four shots off the NSU bench.
The Spartans outrebounded NCCU 39-35 and hit 9-of-11 (81.8 percent) from the free-throw line.
Jones made 9-of-19 from the floor, 4-of-11 from 3-point range, for the Eagles. Tisha Dixon added 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting and Askew scored 11 for NCCU.
The Spartans continue their search for their first win of the year on Monday in a 2 p.m. game at North Carolina A&T.
