EAST GREENSBORO – It was a dare North Carolina A&T senior guard Mikaya Wilson was willing to take. Delaware State played off her most of the night and when it counted it most, she was the truth.
 
Wilson hit several big shots in the fourth quarter and got some assistance from senior guard Cinia McCray and junior forward Deja Winters as the Aggies defeated a resilient Delaware State team 58-53 Monday night at Corbett Sports Center in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) women's basketball action.
 
Wilson tied her career-high with 18 points to go along with six rebounds and four steals.
 
"Mikaya is doing a great job of leading and getting us in the right offense," said N.C. A&T coach Tarrell Robinson. "She did a great job offensively today. I'm really proud of her. I thought she went into the Bethune game with the wrong mindset of forcing the issue. I told her if she just runs our offense the opportunities are going to open up. They played off her and she knocked down every shot where they left her open. That's what happens when you get in the gym and get shots up."
 
Jayla Jones-Pack finished with her third double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Six of her rebounds came on the offensive end as the Aggies outrebounded the Hornets 54-34.
 
But it was the Aggies (13-6, 5-2 MEAC) ability to knock down open shots in the fourth quarter. After two Sharajah Collins free throws gave Delaware State (7-11, 3-2 MEAC) a 39-38 lead with 7:50 remaining in the game, the Aggies tied the game on a Jasmen Walton free throw.
 
A turnover gave the Aggies possession again and Wilson took advantage. She took a look over at the Aggies bench as she stood wide open from the elbow. After the glance, she took the jump shot and netted it to give the Aggies a 41-39 lead with 5:53 to play.
 
Lyric Turner answered Wilson's jump shot with a 3-pointer to give the Hornets the lead back. Wilson was not done, however. At the 3:53 mark, she stole the ball from Janasia Law and raced down the floor to score to put the Aggies ahead 43-42 with 4:11 remaining. Again, the Hornets responded with a Turner 3-pointer to take a two-point lead.
 
Jones-Pack's 3-point play gave the Aggies the lead back at 46-45 and sparked a 10-0 Aggies run that included a Wilson jumper, a McCray 3-pointer and a putback from Jones-Pack that gave the Aggies a 53-45 lead with 2:15 to play.
 
Turner stopped the run by hitting another three. Seconds later, however, McCray found an open Winters in the corner for a 3-pointer that gave the Aggies a 56-48 lead with 1:40 to play. A 5-0 Del State run highlighted by a Collins 3-pointer got the Hornets to within three, 56-53, with 39 seconds to play.
 
But after Walton hit two free throws, the Aggies blocked two Del State shot attempts to close out the game.
 
"Give Delaware State credit, they gave us a lot of different defensive looks and it threw us off. We started turning over and that's something that has been kicking us in the butt all season," said Robinson. "We have to find a way to fix that. When we run our sets, recognize what they're and make the right reads as we did at the end of the (third) quarter."
 
 N.C. A&T led throughout the first half as they took a 14-2 lead in the first quarter on a Winters 3-pointer. After ending the first quarter with a 14-6 lead, the Aggies grew their lead to 21-6 on a Le'on Hill layup. Another Hill layup gave N.C. A&T a 31-17 lead with 1:23 remaining in the first half.
 
Melissa Sam's jump shot sent the Hornets into the locker room trailing 31-19. The Hornets were able to score the first 12 points of the second half to tie the game at 31 with 3:31 remaining in the third. Despite the slow second-half start, the Aggies finished the quarter strong.
 
A Wilson jumper gave the Aggies a 36-33 lead. That was followed up by a Lessears layup before Law sent the Hornets into the fourth quarter trailing 38-35 with a jump shot.
 
Turner led the Hornets with 15 points and five assists. The Aggies return to action 2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 1 at Corbett Sports Center against the No. 1 team in the conference, the Norfolk State Spartans (12-7, 6-0 MEAC).