Amiya NealN.C. Central women’s basketball picked up a seemingly effortless 103-51 win over its final nonconference opponent, William Peace, on Wednesday evening. The victory came just over 24 hours after the Lady Eagles earned their first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win with an upset over No. 2 Maryland Eastern Shore.
The Lady Eagles took control early, never allowing the Pacers to take the lead. After ending the first quarter with a 26-9 advantage, NCCU stretched the margin to 53 points.
“[It was] a great come-down game from the game we had yesterday,” Head Coach Terrence Baxter said. “We gon’ rest up tomorrow, and then it’s time to go. Everything we want is right here in front of us.”
N.C. Central outscored William Peace 48-4 in the paint, dished out 22 assists and grabbed 59 rebounds, compared to the Pacers’ eight assists and 32 rebounds.
The Lady Eagles’ bench also played a key role, outscoring William Peace’s bench 53-32, led by a record-breaking performance from junior guard Aysia Hinton.
Hinton led the bench with a historic 36-point performance, knocking down 12 3-pointers to set program records for most points and most 3-pointers in a game since NCCU began Division I play.
“When she hit those first six, I told her at halftime, ‘We are still going to play our game, but we’ll give you a shot at breaking the record,’” Baxter said. “She came through.”
“I feel a lot of emotions, just coming from where I came from—not playing, not even [getting] the chance to showcase my abilities. And then coming here [and] Coach Bax[ter] giving me an opportunity to be the best that I can be…just having the confidence in me to do what I’m great at,” Hinton said.
The dominant win was a team effort, with graduate forward Morgan Callahan and sophomore forward Dianna Blake both recording double-doubles. The duo grabbed 10 rebounds apiece, scoring 10 and 12 points. Senior guard Natalie Jasper added 11 points.
The win improved the Lady Eagles’ overall record to 5-14 as they prepare to return to conference play. NCCU will look to carry its two-game winning streak into a road matchup at Norfolk State on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 2 p.m.
