Nashville --- The Tennessee State University women's basketball team saw its lead slip away in the final minute against Morehead State, falling to the Eagles 62-58 in the Gentry Center on Sunday evening.

With the loss Tennessee State dropped its fifth straight and slipped to 3-8 (0-3 OVC) while Morehead State improved to 8-3 (3-0 OVC).

Tennessee State was leading 52-43 with 9:33 left and seemed to be in control of the game when a 9-2 run from Morehead brought the Eagles to within two, 54-52. In the final two minutes of the game MSU outscored TSU 8-2 to escape with the win.

Meredith Stafford led TSU with 19 points while Destiney Gaston added 14 points and four blocks. Simone Hopes recorded 11 points six rebounds and four steals.

Morehead State had four players to post double-digits in scoring led by Courtney Lumpkin's 23 points. Ashar Harris recorded a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds while Chynna Bozeman (11) and Linda Dixon (10) also notched double figures.

After a somewhat slow start for both teams in the first half, Morehead began to click and moved ahead 22-12 with 11:27 on the clock.

Later in the frame the momentum shifted towards TSU when a free-throw by Simone Hopes sparked a 10-0 rally that gave the Lady Tigers a 25-24 lead with just 2:40 left in the half.

Meredith Stafford knocked down here second three-pointer of the half to give TSU a 29-26 lead at the halftime break.

The second half was a closely contested battle between both teams.  TSU was holding on to a slight, 44-43, lead when eight unanswered points gave the Lady Tigers a 52-43 lead with 9:33 remaining.

The Eagles, however, would not go away. Over a span of two minutes, a couple of MSU three-pointers cut the TSU lead down to just two points, 54-52 with a little over five minutes remaining. The Lady Tigers were clinging to the lead over the next two minutes until a three-pointer by Chynna Bozeman put the Eagles on top, 57-56.

On the ensuing possession, TSU regained the lead, 58-57, behind two made free-throws from Destiney Gaston but an offensive rebound and put back from Ashar Harris handed the lead back to MSU, 59-58.

TSU missed its next shot attempt before another bucket from Harris made the score, 61-58, in favor of the visitors with just 26 seconds remaining.

On the next trip down the floor TSU committed a turnover and then fouled Courtney Lumpkin. Lumpkin made one of two free-throws to give the Eagles a 62-58 lead with 11 seconds left. The Lady Tigers' final two shot attempts were off the mark.

TSU shot 41.3 percent from the field (19-of-23), including 40 percent (4-of-10) from three-point range while MSU hit 35.4 percent (23-of-65) from the field and 30.4 percent (7-of-23) from beyond the arc. Both teams shot well from the free-throw line as the Tigers connected on 80 percent (16-of-20) and the Eagles shot 81.8 percent (9-of-11). MSU outrebounded TSU 44-29.

The Lady Tigers return to action on Tuesday when they host the Colonels of Eastern Kentucky in OVC action. Game time is slated for 5:30 p.m. in the Gentry Center.