SAVANNAH, Ga. (November 23, 2016) – North Carolina A&T is getting closer and closer to putting together a complete game. Wednesday during the second day of the Savannah Invitational the Aggies lost to Ball State 76-57 in women's basketball action at the Savannah Civic Center after three good quarters and one disappointing second quarter.
“Our effort changed between the first and second half. That's what I challenged them with,” said head coach Tarrell Robinson. “I thought we missed a lot of shots early which put us in a hole and Ball State capitalized on our mistakes.”
Charnise Tyler led the team with 10 points, scoring in the double-figures for the first time this season. Aliyah Kilpatrick was not far behind with nine points and Dana Brown and Alexus Lessears had eight apiece.
The Aggies only trailed 16-11 after the first quarter. Junior Quenswayla Story got the Aggies even closer with a jump shot. The Cardinals broke away from the Aggies a bit with a 6-0 run to go ahead nine. Over the last four minutes of the second is where the Cardinals took over, however. After Michelle Fitzgerald scored in the paint to cut Ball State's lead to 29-21 with 4:15 remaining in the first half, Frannie Frazier led a 10-0 run by scoring six points during the run to give Ball State a 39-21 halftime lead.
N.C. A&T (1-4) came alive offensively in the second half, putting up 21 points in the third quarter, matching their first half total. The team went 9-for-19 from the floor, adding two threes and shooting 47.4 percent in the quarter. But the Aggies were not able to cut into the Cardinals lead because the Cardinals were 14-for-24 (63.6 percent) from the floor in the second half to keep the Aggies at bay.
In fact, Ball State shot 50 percent or better in every quarter by holding a decisive edge in the paint. The Cardinals (3-1) outscored the Aggies 44-22 in the paint. Moriah Monaco led four Cardinals in double figures with 23 points. Renee Bennett added 16 points as she and Monaco combined to go 17-for-27 from the floor. Carmen Grande registered 13 assists.
“We have got to continue to grow. We have a young group, and I'm hoping we are starting to turn the corner within the next few games,” said Robinson. “We need to finish this tournament up the right way. This tournament is going to define us and let me know who we are as a team. We've got one more game, so hopefully we can find a way to get a victory.”
The Aggies will wrap up the Savannah Invitational on Thanksgiving against Marist at 2 p.m. The Red Foxes remain winless this season, losing to East Carolina 70-68 in their first game of the tournament. They will take on Auburn on Wednesday night before a quick turnaround to take on the Aggies.
