GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T's bowling season is one to remember.
On Sunday, A&T (31-5, 7-1 MEAC), the 13th-ranked team in the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) poll, won its fourth consecutive tournament with a 4-3 win over No. 15 Delaware State in the championship of the MEAC meet at Triad Lanes.
A&T received a bye into the championship match because they came into the final day in first place. They went into the day prepared to play the winner of the Delaware State/Monmouth matchup.
DSU came out victorious and set their sights on the Aggies for the tournament's top spot.
The Aggies recorded five strikes in their last six throws to win the first game, 211-208. DSU bowled two strikes in their 10th frame in the second game, but the Aggies still held on 193-177.
Game No. 3 started with the Aggies bowling three consecutive strikes. They also closed with four straight strikes. In between, however, the Aggies left open two frames, allowing the Hornets to win 222-213. The Hornets were aided by two strikes and a spare at the end of the game.
Five strikes over five frames to win the fourth game, 238-235. The Hornets then recorded nine strikes in the fifth game to win 266-215 for a 3-2 lead in the series.
The Aggies needed to battle back, and they did. In Game 6, the Hornets had a 117-107 lead, but the Aggies put together back-to-back strikes after the eighth frame to take a 166-156 lead.
Another open frame for Delaware State and an Aggie strike in the ninth frame allowed N.C. A&T to increase the lead to 19 pins, 186-165, after the ninth frame. The Aggies kept the 19-pin lead after the 10th frame to tie the series.
In the final game, the Aggies defeated Delaware State 212-170. The Aggies started with an open frame, and Delaware State recorded a strike in the first frame to take a 20-9 lead. N.C. A&T took the lead 69-46 after the third frame after the Aggies recorded back-to-back strikes, and Delaware State had an open frame in the third.
The Aggies continued to increase their lead to win by 42 pins to win the championship.
The Aggies take two weeks off before traveling to Smyrna, Tenn., for the Vanderbilt tournament, March 5-7.
