MILLSBORO, Del. – North Carolina A&T finished the first bowling event on the 2022 schedule in eighth place at the LIU Northeast Classic. 

The tournament consisted of eight top-10 teams from the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) national poll, including the Aggies, who are ranked fourth. 

A&T entered bracket play in seventh place on Sunday. They lost to No. 12 Duquesne 4-0 to open the day. 

The Aggies lost the first two games, 223-201 and 204-201, before the Dukes took a 3-0 lead with a 182-164 win. The Dukes advanced to face No. Stephen F. Austin (SFA) with a 201-167 win. 

In a bounce-back match against Maryville, the Aggies defeated the Saints 4-2. The Saints took the first two games, 230-212 and 257-191, respectively, before the Aggies roared back. 

A&T took Game 3, 206-185, before evening things at 2-2 with a narrow 208-204 win. The Aggies kept the momentum going with a 238-192 win in the fifth game before advancing to face SFA with a 204-201 win in Game 6. 

But SFA, coming off a 4-3 defeat to Duquesne, swept the Aggies, 4-0. The Lumberjacks had wins of 202-189, 269-233 and 267-153 before closing out the match in a closely contested game, 206-201. No. 5 Vanderbilt won the tournament, followed by No. 2 McKendree, No. 8 Youngstown State, No. 1 Sam Houston State and No. 9 Mount St. Mary's to round out the top-5.  

This weekend, the Aggies are back in action with the PVAMU Invite hosted by Prairie View A&M University in Arlington, Texas, Jan. 28-30.