WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 18, 2017) – North Carolina A&T women's basketball team fell in a close game to Howard 69-61 at Burr Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.
Aliyah Kilpatrick led the Aggies in scoring for the third consecutive game, putting away 16 against the Bison while also securing 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. She also had a team-leading five assists and two steals. Freshman Alexus Lessears posted back-to-back double-doubles as she scored 12 points with a career-high 14 rebounds. Michelle Fitzgerald also had an impressive day on the glass as she grabbed 11 rebounds.
The Aggies held a three-point lead heading into the second half, 33-30. The Aggies held onto their lead throughout the third quarter as a layup from Lessears and two made free throws from freshman Cinia McCray put the Aggies ahead 37-30. The Aggies led by as many as nine in the third quarter, 43-34, on a Lessears layup. A 10-1 Howard run erased the Aggies lead quickly before a 6-2 surge helped N.C. A&T take a 50-46 lead into the fourth quarter.
N.C. A&T could not hold off the rallying Bison, however. The Bison took their first lead of the game, 52-50, on a jumper from Sarah Edmond with 7:59 left on the clock.
Dana Brown responded with two consecutive 3-pointers to put the Aggies ahead 56-52. The Bison scored the next 11 points to take command of the game while the Aggies sturggled through missed shots and turnovers. Fitzgerald helped the Aggies come out of a fiv-minute scoring drought with a putback of her own miss. But by the time Fitzgerald scored, the Aggies were trailing 63-58 with 49 seconds remaing.
The Aggies now find themselves in a three-way tie for fifth place as they dropped to 11-14 overall and 7-5 in the MEAC. The Aggies are looking for a first-round bye in next month's MEAC tournament in Noroflk, Va. A win would have put them in a strong position to obtain one. They were off to a quick.
At one point they led 13-2 and with 8:49 remaining in the second quarter the Aggies held a 23-11 advantage. Both teams went three minutes without scoring. Howard's Te'Shya Heslip ended the dry spell with a 3-pointer that seemed to be the spark the Bison needed. Heslip's three was a part of a 13-1 Bison run that tied the game at 24 before the Aggies closed out the half strong with Kilpatrick scoring seven of their final nine points of the half.
Despite the tough loss, the Aggies look to rebound with a win against Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday, Feb. 20 in Princess Anne, Md., at 5:30 p.m
