Breakdown: The Aggies (1-2) collected their first win of the season in striking fashion, defeating Virginia Union 103-61 at Corbett Sports Center on Tuesday. It was the first time the Aggies scored in triple figures since Feb. 16, 2008, when they defeated UMES, 105-79.
N.C. A&T had five players collect double-digit points in the contest, led by sophomore guard Mikala Scott, who had 20 points. N.C. A&T started on a 6-0 run before Panthers forward Vicki Collier collected two free throws. Those free throws did not slow down the Aggies onslaught. Led by Scott, the Aggies continued to score in bunches. She hit a 3-pointer and a fastbreak layup to give the Aggies a 17-2 lead.
From there, the Aggies would not look back, as they rolled to a 40-15 halftime lead. Ten of those 15 Virginia Union points in the first half came from Collier as she finished with a game-high 22 points and 16 rebounds. N.C. A&T leave no doubt in the second half as it took 60-25 lead five minutes into play in the second half on a layup by sophomore Tiffanie Adair.
Freshman Kierra Dunnington nailed her only 3-point attempt, which gave the Aggies 101 points with 3:36 remaining. The Aggies ended the game with 43 points from their youthful bench.
Why the Aggies won: The Aggies shot a season-high 54.5 percent from the field, and made a season-high 36 percent of their 3-point attempts. The Panthers shot just 30 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from beyond the arc. The Aggies also did well from the free throw line, hitting 27 of their 34 attempts. The Panthers had 38 turnovers in the game, off which the Aggies had 51 points. N.C. A&T also scored 52 of their 103 points in the paint. N.C. A&T also did a tremendous job of pressuring the Panthers, collecting a season-high 22 steals in the contest. The Aggies also had a season-high 48 rebounds in the game, 19 of which were offensive.
Standout Performance: Sophomore Mikala Scott had a tremendous game for the Aggies, leading the team with 20 points, going 8-for-12 from the field. She also ended the game with three steals and three assists, all in just 18 minutes of work. It was her 14th career double-digit scoring game, and the sixth time in her career that she led the team in scoring.
Junior JaQuayla Berry chipped in with 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists and five steals. Freshman Kelsei Ewings added 10 points after hitting all six of her free throws, while fellow freshman Tiffanie Adair had 11 points and eight boards in her Corbett Sports Center debut.
"As I was coaching the game tonight, I looked, and I saw, and I thought, 'My goodness, look at our future,'" said N.C. A&T head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs. "I mean seriously, it is a great future."
Unsung Hero: Freshman Kierra Dunnington ended the game with five points in eight minutes of play, with one assist. But she hit the 3-pointer that put the Aggies over the 100 point mark. Her spot-on shooting from beyond the arc helped the Aggies hit a milestone that they have not met since 2008.
What did she say?: "Well, as a coach, you're not ever really satisfied, but I think we actually played really well, and we were able to get everybody in. The chemistry's not there, and of course you can see that, but I think we played really well. We had really good defense, and knocked down shots which is great, and to be home, my goodness, we've got to be happy about that." -Patricia Cage-Bibbs
The next opponent: The Aggies will take on a tough Liberty team on Friday at Corbett Sports Center at 7 p.m.
