DOVER, Del. – Four North Carolina A&T women's basketball players scored in double-digits as the Aggies used a big fourth quarter to secure their seventh consecutive win, 86-59, over Delaware State at Memorial Hall.
N.C. A&T (7-1) put the Hornets (2-7) away with an impressive 32-2 run that started midway through the third quarter and lasted until midway through the fourth quarter.
"Like last year, Delaware State came out more intense than we did," N.C. A&T coach Tarrell Robinson said. "We were fortunate to be up by six at the half. In the second half, we were able to disrupt their offensive flow, which led to some key turnovers that we converted into points. The game started to open up for us then."
N.C. A&T led 35-29 at the half. That lead grew to 43-31 when freshman guard Sean Kelly Darks hit a floater in the lane with 8:12 remaining in the third quarter. DSU responded with a 14-5 run that ended with a Daije Harris 3pointer to cut the Aggies lead to 48-45 with 4:18 remaining in the third quarter.
N.C. A&T asserted its dominance from there with its lengthy spurt. The run started graduate Chanin Scott finding senior Deja Winters open for a jump shot. N.C. A&T held DSU scoreless over the next four minutes as the Aggies took a 57-45 lead.
After a Harris connected on a jumper for DSU, Scott made two free throws to give the Aggies a 59-47 lead going into the fourth quarter. Quarter No. 4 started with the Aggies outscoring the Hornets 21-0. Winters had seven points during the run, and junior Jasmen Walton and Darks added six points apiece.
DSU did not get its first field goal of the fourth quarter until the 3:05 mark. By that time, the Aggies had a comfortable 82-51 lead.
The Aggies had a 28-15 advantage in points off turnovers over the Hornets. N.C. A&T also outscored DSU in the paint 48-22. N.C. A&T shot 47.2 percent from the floor. They held Delaware State to 28.6 percent shooting from the floor and 20 percent from 3-point range.
Winters led the Aggies with 20 points. Darks added 18 points, four assists and two steals on 7-for-9 shooting. Scott pitched in with 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block. Walton also reached double figures with 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting. Senior forward Jayla Jones-Pack led the team with a game-high 12 rebounds.
DSU led early in the game as they took a 12-8 lead with 3:22 remaining in the first quarter. Junior Kennedy Boyd hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to one. Sharajah Collins scored in the lane to put the Hornets up by three before the Aggies scored the next four points on a Boyd layup and Jones-Pack jumper to take a 15-14 lead. DSU closed held the first-quarter lead, 16-15, thanks to a Demaurea Moore jumper.
The Hornets still held the lead at 25-23, with 5:26 remaining in the first half. Layups by sophomore Jada Smith and Winters gave the Aggies a 27-25 lead before DSU tied the game on a Kiana Coomber jumper in the paint. Jones-Pack would then score in the post to give the Aggies a 29-27 lead with 3:14 remaining in the first half.
Harris led the Hornets with 21 points.
The Aggies return to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) schedule with two games against N.C. Central, Jan. 23-24 in Durham, N.C. Tip-time for both games is 4 p.m.
