ORANGEBURG, S.C. (Interstat) — Tierney Coleman scored 17 points, including two critical free throws with one second remaining, and North Carolina Central survived a late rally to edge South Carolina State 68-65 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference women’s basketball game Wednesday night at SHM Memorial Center.

The Eagles, who led by as many as 13 points in the third quarter, saw their advantage vanish in the final minutes before Coleman and Natalie Jasper sealed the victory at the foul line. The win improved North Carolina Central to 8-16 overall, while the Bulldogs fell to 5-20.

Coleman, a 5-foot-9 guard from Marrero, Louisiana, provided a crucial offensive spark off the bench, adding seven rebounds in 23 minutes. Her performance was complemented by a double-double from Aniya Finger, who had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and a near double-double from Morgan Callahan, who finished with nine points, 11 rebounds and four assists. Jasper contributed 16 points for the Eagles.

South Carolina State was led by Iemyiah Harris, who scored a game-high 19 points. Janiah Hinton added 13 points, and Monajah Ford chipped in 10. The Bulldogs’ interior defense was anchored by Ja’Siiyah Holmes, who blocked two shots.

North Carolina Central established control early, using a 9-0 run in the first quarter to build a 21-18 lead after one period. The Eagles maintained a slim margin throughout a tightly contested second quarter, taking a 37-34 advantage into halftime.

The most important part of the game unfolded in the third quarter, when North Carolina Central appeared to seize command. The Eagles opened the period with a 9-3 surge, capped by a Coleman 3-pointer, to extend their lead to 46-37. They pushed the margin to 13 points at 50-37 after another Coleman jumper with 5:56 left in the quarter. However, South Carolina State responded with resilience, closing the quarter on a 13-2 run. Harris and Hinton fueled the comeback, with Hinton draining a 3-pointer just before the period ended to cut the deficit to 52-50 heading into the final frame.

The Bulldogs carried that momentum into the fourth quarter, eventually tying the game at 58-58 on a Heaven Harper jumper with 3:29 remaining. The teams traded baskets, with South Carolina State taking its first lead since the first quarter at 63-61 on another Harper jumper with 1:22 left.

The game turned in the final minute. After Harris made one of two free throws to give South Carolina State a 65-63 lead with 57 seconds left, Coleman was fouled on a drive and calmly sank both free throws to tie the game with 1:03 on the clock. Following a South Carolina State turnover, the Eagles ran the clock down for a final shot. Najah Lane was called for an offensive foul with 24 seconds left, giving the ball back to the Bulldogs.

On the ensuing inbounds play, however, Coleman stole a pass from Janiah Hinton near midcourt. Dream Watson fouled Natalie Jasper with one second remaining in an attempt to prevent a shot. Jasper made the first free throw to give North Carolina Central a 66-65 lead. After a South Carolina State timeout, she swished the second to provide the final margin. A desperation heave from Harris at the buzzer was off the mark.

The Eagles shot consistently across all four quarters, scoring 21, 16, 12 and 19 points respectively. The Bulldogs posted quarters of 18, 16, 16 and 15. The game was a conference matchup between teams at the bottom of the MEAC standings, but it featured a tense, back-and-forth finish. North Carolina Central was projected as a heavy favorite by advanced metrics, but South Carolina State’s persistent effort nearly produced an upset in front of 250 fans.

North Carolina Central will travel to face Howard on Saturday. South Carolina State is set to visit Norfolk State, also on Saturday.