(Durham, N.C.) – The Delaware State women's basketball team (4-12, 0-5 MEAC) faced uphill climb Saturday afternoon on the road in search of its conference win of the season as the North Carolina Central Eagles (7-9, 2-1 MEAC)  managed to pull out a 75-61 victory.

In the first half, forward Tierra Hawkins carried the load offensively with 13 points (6-of-8), including scoring the first seven for the Lady Hornets.  Unfortunately, the team's third leading scorer, Deanna Harmon, took an elbow to the face at the 7:58 mark and did not return.   

NCCU, meanwhile, were hot from beyond the arc early and often by going 6-for-11 (.545), led by guard Jessica Freeman nailing four throughout the first stanza.

With a little under 10 minutes to play before halftime, NCCU's forward/center Tisha Dixon converted down low to give her squad its first double digit lead of the afternoon (21-11), which forced a DSU 30-second timeout.

The rest of the period, NCCU outscored the Lady Hornets 20-12 to take a 41-23 lead into the locker room at the break. To complete the first half, the Eagles shot 63 percent (17-of-27) from the field with Freeman totaling a team-high 14 points (5-of-9). NCCU also added 14 points off the bench and totaled 20 points in the paint.

However, the Lady Hornets opened the second half on an 8-2 run, which forced a NCCU timeout with 17:16 left on the clock. DSU continued its strong second half start and cut the deficit to 45-32 after Hawkins drained a free throw to complete an old fashion three-point play.

Nevertheless, the Eagles bounced back from their slow start to go up, 56-36, at the 12:45 mark after a layup by guard Morgan Jones. After building its 20-point lead, NCCU did not look back the rest way, despite a late run by the Lady Hornets.

At game's end, three NCCU players scored in double figures, spearheaded by Freeman's 21-point (8-of-13) effort, including a 5-for-9 (.555) output from long distance.  Guard Khyra Conerly recorded a double-double with 15 points (7-of-11) and 10 rebounds, along with a team-high five assists, whereas Jones added 10 points (4-of-6) off the bench.

As a team, the Eagles shot 52 percent (32-of-58), including draining 15 three pointers, totaling 25 points off the bench and recording 38 points in the paint.

Delaware State, on the other hand, finished the game shooting 40 percent (26-of-65) with Hawkins tallying a game-high 26 points (12-of-17) and a team-high eight rebounds.  Coming off the bench for the second consecutive game, guard Raven Bankston chipped in with 13 points (5-of-18), whereas starter Jade Washington recorded a game-high six assists and three steals, to go along with eight points (4-of-5).

Collectively, the Lady Hornets managed just 11 turnovers, compared to 17 by NCCU, but lost the battle on the boards (40-29).

Coming up, the Lady Hornets will stay in North Carolina to face the North Carolina A&T Aggies on Monday (4 p.m.).