KANSAS CITY, Mo. – North Carolina A&T's first chance at winning a national championship in 2021 came to an end on Thursday.
Arkansas State eliminated the N.C. A&T Aggies (56-10) in the NCAA Bowling Championship Tournament at AMF Lanes by winning both Mega Match formats in the Region 3 matchup. Arkansas State won the traditional match 1,023-978.
Sophomore Lauren Tomaszewski led the Aggies with a 206, followed by junior Ericka Quesada with a 202. Quesada finished with three strikes in the 10th frame. Senior Cameron Strombeck bowled four straight strikes and came away with a 198. Senior Olaya finished with a 190, and freshman Melanie Katen added a 182.
ASU went on to win the Bakers match, 1,030-962.
In Bakers play, the Aggies had a 139-131 lead after the seventh frame, but an open frame in the ninth allowed the Arkansas State Red Wolves to take a 168-165 lead as they went on to win 188-182. The Red Wolves bowled four consecutive strikes at the beginning of the second Bakers and then bowled three at the end to win 436-345.
The Aggies battled back in the third match by outscoring Arkansas State 208-194 to cut the lead to 630-553. But the Red Wolves outscored the Aggies 213-204 to increase the lead to 843-757. In the final Bakers, the Aggies fell short despite bowling three consecutive strikes at the beginning and three more at the end.
The Aggies finish the season with the USBC Championship. The USBC Sectional Championship is from April 16-18, while the USBC National Championship is from May 2-8.
