NORFOLK, Va. (January 30, 2017) – North Carolina A&T women's basketball had their three-game win streak ended in a 53-69 loss to Norfolk State at Echols Hall on Monday. The Aggies (8-13, 4-4 MEAC) found themselves in a hole early and were not able to recover.
The Aggies struggled on offense, shooting 32.3 percent from the floor and were 2-for17 from beyond the 3-point arc. The Spartans, on the other hand, shot 49 percent and had 18 more points from the line. N.C. A&T picked up the pace throughout the second half, putting pressure on Norfolk State defensively. The intense pressure helped the Aggies cut a 32-20 halftime deficit to seven, 46-39, on a Dana Brown 3-pointer with 52 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
After a bucket from NSU's Kiara Phillips to close the quarter, junior Quenswayla Story cut the lead back to seven on a jump shot, Jordan Strode responded with a 3-pointer to give the Spartans (11-9, 6-2 MEAC) a 51-41 lead. Kayla Roberts increased the Spartans lead to 12 on a jumper before a 5-0 run sparked by four points from junior Michelle Fitzgerald got the Aggies to within seven, 53-46, with 5:50 to play. NSU responded with five straight points of their own, highlighted by a Roberts 3-pointer that put the Spartans ahead by double figures the rest of the way.
Roberts led the Spartans throughout the game, finishing with a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double. Jordan Strode also hit 21 points.
There were some bright spots in the Aggies play, however, as Fitzgerald led the team in scoring for the second straight game. She scored 14 with a team-leading eight rebounds. Story had 11 points with five rebounds while Kala Green added 10 points.
Things moved slowly for N.C. A&T on offense in the first half as the Spartans outscored the Aggies 16-10 in each quarter. The Aggies held the lead for the first two minutes of the contest, but never by more than two points. The Spartans went on an 11-4 run to close out the first quarter and started the second quarter on a 6-0 run to lead the Aggies 22-10.
The Aggies wrap up their road trip at Delaware State on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 5:30 p.m., at Memorial Hall Gym.
