DURHAM - There becomes a moment when you know there is something etched in an individual's DNA. A long time ago, it was discovered that North Carolina A&T women's basketball coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs had defense written all over hers.
The variety of pressure defenses Bibbs has implemented over the years are well known throughout the MEAC and SWAC. On Monday night at McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium, N.C. Central saw how much Bibbs-coached teams like defense.
The Aggies recorded a school-record 31 steals in an 82-48 rout of the Eagles. Jaquayla Berry scored 24 points on 11-for-19 shooting, and Jaleesa Sams added eight points, 12 rebounds and eight steals. Sophomore center Nikia Gorham contributed by scoring 10 points, 10 rebounds and three steals.
But of course, recording 31 steals is not something that comes as a surprise to Bibbs. In 1987, Grambling had 38 steals against Texas College. Those 38 steals still stand as an NCAA record. The head coach of that Grambling team was none other than Ms. Bibbs.
"That was one heckuva team," said Bibbs about her 1987 squad. "I've always felt like offense will take care of itself if you're playing good defense. I'm proud of what my young ladies did tonight. They got 31 steals against their rivals. That's something they will remember for a long time."
It was the Aggies second blowout win of the Eagles this season. In January, the Aggies defeated the Eagles by 36.
"When you're playing in front of a crowd like this against your rival, it's important to start fast," said Bibbs. "I thought we took the crowd out early, and then our bench did an outstanding job of finishing them off."
The Aggies improved to 13-12 on the season, surpassing the .500 mark for the first time this season. The Eagles closed to within five early on a Jori Nwachukwu layup. N.C. A&T outscored the Eagles 15-6 over the next 8 ½ minutes to take a 28-14 lead on a Berry 3-point play.
The Eagles were never in contention from there. N.C. A&T's lead ballooned to as many as 33 in the second half. Nwachukwu led the Eagles with 19 points and nine rebounds.
The Aggies will need their defense when they return to conference action Saturday afternoon against Coppin State from Corbett Sports Center at 2. The Aggies have two of their final three conference games at home. The Aggies are hoping to obtain a No. 2 seed heading into next month's MEAC Tournament in Winston-Salem.
"Everything is about the conference tournament at this point in the season," said Bibbs. "It was important that we got to play so many players tonight because we're going to need players like Alishia Mosley and DeAndra Davis to contribute if we're going to win it. "
