GREENSBORO - Despite all of the injuries and youth surrounding the 2010-11 North Carolina A&T women's basketball team, there is still an element that makes it invincible.
Corbett Sports Center.
Throw in the return of sophomore Jaqualya Berry and a 58-54 win over Howard, and the simple conclusion to draw is that Saturday was a pretty cool day in the world of Lady Aggies basketball. Berry finished with 26 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Senior Jaleesa Sams added 10 points and a career-high 14 rebounds.
The Aggies won for the 30th straight time at home against a conference opponent. It is a streak that is now 4-years old. Their last loss at home to a MEAC opponent was Feb. 17, 2007 against Coppin State.
"This is a good venue for us," said N.C. A&T head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs. "Our kids respond well to playing in front of their people. (The streak) is great because it means you have been one of the better teams in the conference over a long period of time. It speaks volumes for the program."
Thirty didn't come easy. Howard came into Saturday's game with an edge over the Aggies after beating them by 16 in nation's capital on Jan. 15. Howard held the Aggies to 53 points in that contest. A month later, Howard's defense was still pretty good. A 2-3 zone kept the Aggies on the perimeter most of the night.
But has it turns out, the Aggies defense wasn't too shabby either. Howard made just five second-half field goals. N.C. A&T's rebounding was even better. The Aggies held the Bison to just seven offensive boards.
Rebounding standout Saadia Doyle had 18 points and nine rebounds. But considering Doyle has lived in double-double land during her career against N.C. A&T, holding her to nine rebounds (one offensive), was a small moral victory for the Aggies.
Berry's offense took care of the rest. She finally found an answer for Howard's zone when she knocked down a three from the left elbow, giving the Aggies a 42-36 lead with seven minutes to play. The Aggies lead grew to as many as 10 in the second half, but Howard made a late push.
Adelle Walton's 3-pointer with 15 seconds remaining cut N.C. A&T's lead two at 56-54. On the Aggies next possession, Sams missed the second of a two-shot free throw, giving the Bison a chance to tie. But Berry stepped in front of Saadia Doyle's pass with five seconds remaining to clinch the win. In Berry's last three home games, she has scored 31, 27 and 26.
"We held it down while (Berry) was gone, but we would much rather have her on the floor for us," said Bibbs, whose team went 1-2 without Berry. "She prides herself on defense and offense. I like that kind of player."
The Aggies will put their winning streak on the line against a tough opponent on Monday. They play host to conference-leader Hampton Monday evening at 4:30. The game will be televised live on ESPNU. Hampton handed the Aggies a 71-36 loss back in January.
"I know we can score more than 36 points on people," said Bibbs. "However, we were still wearing our first loss in the conference after we lost at Howard. We took that loss into Hampton and we just weren't ready to play. We've grown a lot since then."
