NC Central Sports Information/plus staff report

MISENHEIMER — Graduate forward Morgan Callahan scored a career-high 23 points and North Carolina Central set a school record for steals in rolling past Pfeiffer 90-55 on Thursday for its third straight women’s basketball victory.

NCCU, led by five steals each from sophomore guards Kyla Bryant and Aysia Hinton, tallied 23 steals as a team. Freshman guard Victoria Morris contributed four steals for the Eagles, who converted 33 Pfeiffer turnovers into 47 points.

Some of the crowd of 325 was on hand to see Bryant, who starred at Salisbury High. Pfeiffer is 18 miles from Salisbury.

Bryant scored 17 points and made three 3-pointers. She had two rebounds and two assists.

The matchup at Merner Gymnasium was a homecoming for both NCCU head coach Terrence Baxter and Bryant. Baxter was a two-time basketball All-American at Pfeiffer and is in the school’s Hall of Fame.

Both Baxter and Bryant received a rousing applause when the starting lineups were announced.

Bryant played against high school opponents Hannah Isley (Carson) and Mya Edwards (West Rowan). Edwards only scored two in 22 minutes, but she had eight rebounds and two blocks. Isley played 14 minutes and scored two points.

The Eagles broke the all-time steals record for the women’s program by one. NCCU recorded 22 steals against Savannah State in 2009 and against Washington Adventist in 2019.

The 90 points were the most scored in regulation by the Eagles this season. NCCU scored a season-high 92 points in a double-overtime home victory over Maryland Eastern Shore on Jan. 11.

Callahan led four Eagles in double figures. Sophomore guard/forward Jada Tiggett continued her stellar play in the paint, posting a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds in addition to three blocks. It was the second consecutive double-double for Tiggett, named MEAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. She set a career-high in rebounds.

Sophomore forward Jada Creech scored a career-high 12 points off the bench. Graduate guard Tierney Coleman had seven points and three steals.

The Eagles (5-14 overall) relied on superior size and quickness to earn a 35-point victory, their largest of the season. They outrebounded Pfeiffer 49-35 which led to a whopping 54-22 scoring advantage in the paint and a 24-9 edge in second chance points.

NCCU, which shot 46.3 percent from the floor, raced out to a 29-9 first-period lead behind 10 points from Callahan and eight from Tiggett. The Eagles cruised the rest of the way as eight players scored and 10 saw action.

The Eagles limited Pfeiffer (6-8 overall) to 36.8 percent shooting. Three Falcons – Alexis Bynum, Kenadie Hudler and Ava Hairston – scored 13 points apiece. The contest was an exhibition for Pfeiffer, a Division III school, while it counted for NCCU.

NCCU returns to MEAC play on Saturday, Jan. 25. The Eagles will host South Carolina State inside McDougald-McLendon Arena at 2 p.m. The contest will be shown live on ESPN+.