LYNCHBURG, Va. – Something happens to the shooting touch of the
North Carolina A&T women's basketball team when a Liberty jersey is in
the building. For the third straight season, the Aggies shot below 40
percent from the floor against the Flames. The Flames didn't shoot the
ball any better, but were still able to come away with a 57-51 defeat
Tuesday night at the Vines Center.
The Aggies shooting touch wasn't the only thing missing. The Aggies
played without leading scorer Tweet Cook who sat out with an injury. In
her absence, freshman JaQuayla Berry led the Aggies with 14 points.
Junior forward Jaleesa Sams finished with 11 on 5-for-6 shooting.
The Aggies have lost to the Big South power by an average of seven
points in their last three meetings. The two teams have played on each
other's home floor and at a neutral site over the last three seasons. “I
have a lot of respect for Liberty's program,'' said Bibbs. “They're a
well-coached team.”
Both teams shot the ball well before defense began to take control of
the action. The Aggies held the Flames to 29 percent shooting in the
second half. Despite the Aggies defensive intensity, they could not grab
the lead in the second half.
The Aggies (6-7) cut the lead to one at 37-36 five minutes into the
second half. A 10-2 run over the next minutes helped the Flames take a
nine-point lead as a Devon Brown tip-in put the Flames ahead 47-38.
Four Amber Calvin free throws helped the Aggies get to within three at
49-46 with 4:15 remaining. But a Brown layup and two Jelena Antic free
throws helped the Flames put the game away.
The Flames were led by Brown's 17 points and 13 rebounds. Antic added 14
as Liberty improved to 8-4.
“We played well defensively, but we didn't hit the boards tonight,''
said Bibbs. “That hurt us. We had our opportunities, but it's tough when
you're playing without your leading scorer.”
The Aggies head into conference play Saturday when they face Florida A&M
Saturday evening.
