STATESBORO, Ga. (November 11, 2016) – North Carolina A&T women's basketball fell on the road 65-50 in their 2016-17 season opener at Georgia Southern on Friday night at Hanner Fieldhouse.  Senior guard Dana Brown led the Aggies with 18 points. Freshman center Alexus Lessears added 10 points and eight rebounds.

Brown, the Aggies top 3-point shooter from a year ago, was back in her rhythm as she was 5-for-12 from 3-point range, shooting .417 from beyond the arc. 

Both teams came out aggressive offensively. A Lessears layup put the Aggies to within one at 15-14 in the first quarter. But two Eagle 3-pointers to close the quarter helped GSU take a 23-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Eagles rode that momentum into the second quarter where they built a 34-18 lead with 5:47 remaining in the first half. A 3-pointer from junior Kala Green at the end of the first half got the Aggies to within 11, 38-27, going into the locker room.

A 3-point third quarter seemed to seal the Aggies fate in their opener. N.C. A&T did not secure its first field goal of the second half until the 1:53 mark of the third quarter, allowing GSU to slowly pull away. When the third was over, the Eagles had built a 51-30 advantage. The Aggies were actually strong defensively in the second half, holding the Eagles to 35 percent shooting after a first half where the Eagles shot 48 percent from the floor. Unfortunately for N.C. A&T, they shot 30 percent for the night and 26 percent in the second half.

Eagles center Patrice Butler did not make things easy for the Aggies, going 7-for-10 from the floor including 3-for-4 from 3-point range to finish with 22 points and five rebounds.

N.C. A&T will get to play in the comforts of Corbett Sports Center next as the Aggies host UT Martin 5:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 14 at Corbett. The Skyhawks opened their season against No. 5 Louisville, losing 100-57.