NORFOLK, Va. - The North Carolina A&T women's basketball team had to deal with a number of adversities at Old Dominion Sunday afternoon.

 Missed shots, early foul trouble and playing on the road all played a role in the Aggies 71-58 loss to Old Dominion at the Ted Constant Center. But those road blocks are a good thing.

"We certainly want to win our non-conference games, and we certainly have won some big non-conference games this year," said N.C. A&T head Patricia Cage-Bibbs. "But I'm looking toward something bigger. We want to be prepared for everything we're going to face when the MEAC comes. Games like this help us down the road. We'll see games like this again. They did not show us anything we weren't prepared for."

Redshirt sophomore point guard Amber Calvin led the Aggies (6-4) with 15 points and four assists. Sophomore guard Tracy King added 14 despite getting into early foul trouble. The Aggies trailed 20-12 with 9:22 remaining in the first half when King picked up her second foul. Problems persisted when starting center Nikia Gorham picked up her third foul with 3:22 remaining in the first half.

"You would love to have those starters in the game, but our younger players have to learn how to step up when we get in foul trouble. It is not about the win at this time, I'm trying to prepare my players for what is coming. We played all players, freshmen included. Like I always say, we are a young team, but that is no excuse."

Bibbs' youthful Aggies and the Monarchs shot less than 40 percent in the first half, but the Aggies made just 5 of 9 free throws in the first half, while the Monarchs made 15 of the 18 free throws it attempted to take a 38-19 halftime lead.

It was an unfamiliar position for N.C. A&T, who has not trailed by that many points since earlier this season, when Michigan State beat the Aggies on Nov. 12. The Aggies whittled the lead down to 53-42 on a JaQuayla Berry 3-pointer with 11:02 remaining in the game. Three minutes later, the lead was down to 10 on a Gorham baseline jumper.

Old Dominion kept the Aggies from getting the deficit under double figures by hitting timely shots. The Monarchs led 64-51 before Calvin's 3-pointer cut the lead to 10 again with 3:25 to play. But Tia Lewis hit two free throws to stop the Aggies momentum. Lewis led the Monarchs with 24 points and 13 rebounds on 8-for-11 shooting.   

"We just couldn't string enough shots together," said Bibbs. "But I'm so very proud of my team. They played with heart and composure when things didn't go our way. We played to win."

The Aggies return to action Wednesday night when they travel to Charlotte to renew their rivalry with Charlotte University. It will be the fourth meeting between the two schools in the last four seasons. The Aggies won two of those meetings, including a 2010 win over the 49ers in the WNIT.