STRATFORD, N.J. – North Carolina A&T, the No. 8 ranked team in the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) bowling poll, won Baker play on Friday by 173 pins Friday at the Northeast Invitational.
The Aggies (8-1) went 5-0 on Day 1 with a total of 5,083 pins to average 203.3. In all five baker matches, the Aggies used the same rotation of freshman Melanie Katen, sophomore Lauren Tomaszewski, junior Ericka Quesada and seniors Ana Olaya and Cameron Strombeck.
The Aggies started with a 1,036-811 win over Coppin State. N.C. A&T won all five matches beginning with a 217-150 victory followed by a 237-172 triumph. The closest game was the third one, where the Aggies won 165-161. The Aggies won the final two games, 233-180 and 190-148.
N.C. A&T won its second match against No. 17 Delaware State this season after a 1,073-940 win, winning four of the five games they played. N.C. A&T won the first four games, the closest being the first, a 183-178 win. The most lopsided occurred in the third game, a 245-176 win. N.C. A&T did lose the fifth game, 204-190.
The Aggies defeated the second consecutive ranked opponent with a 1,002-966 win over No. 11 Duquesne. The Aggies won three out of the five games but lost Game 1, 192-180. They bounced back to win Games 2 and 3, 215-177 and 229-222. The Aggies lost a squeaker 180-178 before winning Game 5, 200-195 in another close one.
N.C. A&T bowled its fourth consecutive 1,000-plus pin game after defeating Long Island 1,008-929 and won four out of five in the matchup. The Aggies won the first three games, starting with a 192-168 win. They bowled consecutive 200-plus pin games with a 204-192 win in the second game and a 221-190 in the third game. LIU won the fourth match 207-194, but the Aggies bounced back with a 197-172 win in the final game.
The Aggies won the final match of the day with a 964-862 win over Morgan State. Again, the Aggies won four out of five with wins in the first three games, the closest coming in the third with a 174-163 victory. The Bears won the fourth game, 203-197. N.C. A&T recovered to win 186-159 in the fifth game.
Twelfth-ranked Mount St. Mary's finished second going 4-1 with 4,910 total pins to average 196.4. Duquesne followed with a 3-2 mark, 4,795 total pins and an average of 191.8. Day 2 starts Saturday with five traditional matches and finishes on Sunday with three best-of-seven games.
