A&T STATISTICAL LEADERS: F K Kiana Adderton (25 pts, 11 rebs (3 offensive), 2 blocks, 10-for-16 FGs, 4-for-4 FTs); F Chanin Scott (12 pts, 6 rebs (3 offensive), 3 assists, 4-for-7 FGs). 

HAMPTON STATISTICAL LEADERS: G Madison Buford (14 pts, 6-for-7 FGs).  


WHY A&T DID GET THE W: Third-quarter Defense. The North Carolina A&T women's basketball team played solid defense throughout the second half, but the third quarter set the tone. After allowing the Pirates to shoot 50 percent in the first half, the Aggies limited the Pirates to only seven shots in the third quarter, forcing Hampton into six turnovers. It allowed the Aggies to overcome an 11-point halftime deficit. The Pirates shot just 30.4 percent (7-for-23) in the second half. 

WHY HAMPTON DID NOT GET THE W: Paint job. The Aggies took away the Pirates easy shots in the second half. Hampton outscored A&T 20-8 in the paint in the first half. However, over the final 20 minutes, the Aggies forced the Pirates to take more perimeter shots. In addition, the Aggies caused Hampton to take some bad shots. Meanwhile, the Aggies defense allowed for easier A&T opportunities as they outscored Hampton 28-14 in the paint in half No. 2.

CRUCIAL: It was a big night for graduate forward Kiana Adderton to show off her versatility. That versatility came busting through four minutes into the fourth quarter. Hampton guard Amyah Reaves through a pass in Adderton's direction that Adderton intercepted. Adderton came racing up the court, drove to the basket, scored and was fouled by Nas Nagatu. Adderton completed the 3-point play to give the Aggies a 52-45. It sparked a run where the Aggies outscored Hampton 19-6 over the game's final six minutes.

EAST GREENSBORO –  Graduate transfer Kiana Adderton had the best performance of her North Carolina A&T women's basketball career. In addition, the Aggies displayed a level of offensive and defensive prowess in the second half that was nothing short of impressive to down the Hampton Pirates, 68-51 Saturday night at Corbett Sports Center. 

A&T improved to 13-13 overall and 10-6 in the Big South Conference with the win. The Pirates dropped to 10-13 overall and 6-7 in Big South play. 
Adderton's 25 points and 11 rebounds were both season highs as she secured her third double-double of the season. Adderton, who once had a 36-point, 14-rebound performance at Division II Francis Marion, helped the Aggies shoot 62.1 percent from the floor in the second half. 

That includes a third quarter where the Aggies were 10-for-13 (.769) from the floor as they made an impressive rally from a 31-20 halftime deficit to tie the game at 41 going into the fourth quarter. 

"We had a great response," said A&T coach Tarrell Robinson about the Aggies second-half outburst. "We had 20 points in the first half and 48 in the second. The game was fun for them and fun for our fans, and that's what you want." 

A&T was indeed having a blast to open the second half. Before the first media timeout 4 ½ minutes into the second half, Hampton's double-digit halftime lead had evaporated. The Aggies outscored Hampton 12-1 over that span, capped off by a 3-point play from graduate forward Chanin Scott to tie the game at 32. 

When sophomore D'Mya Tucker made a strong move to the basket to score on a layup to put A&T ahead 36-34 with 3:44 remaining in the third quarter, it marked the Aggies first lead of the game. Hampton eventually rebuilt their lead to three, 39-36, before sophomore forward Levossie Taylor followed her miss and was fouled. 

Taylor converted the 3-point play to tie the game at 39 with 18 seconds remaining in the third. 


Scott gave the Aggies the lead with two free throws before Hampton's Amyah Reaves tied the game at 41, going into the fourth quarter on a runner in the lane. 

Point guard Shareka McNeill opened the fourth quarter with a baseline 3-pointer. The Aggies never relinquished the lead again as Adderton dominated the Pirates in the fourth. 

She posted 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting in the fourth quarter. Her 3-point play with 5:38 remaining gave the Aggies a 52-45 lead. The play marked the beginning of the end for the Pirates. McNeill followed with a long two-point shot to put the Aggies ahead by 11. 

After a Reaves bucket cut the Pirate deficit to nine, Tucker found Adderton cutting to the basket for an easy layup that drew another Hampton foul, allowing Adderton to complete another 3-point play. 

"I saw her stepping up as a senior should," said Robinson about Adderton's play on Saturday. "She responded to the challenge of being coached hard and to expectations. I'm proud of her."

Hampton freshman Madison Buford, who scored eight points on 4-for-4 shooting in the first half, had a quiet second half because of foul trouble. However, she did score in the paint to cut the Aggies lead to 59-49 with 3:09 to play. 

But Scott converted on a post move in the paint, and senior guard Kennedy Boyd hit a close-range floater in the paint to all but put the Pirates away. 

"We forced them into some bad shots, and we turned them over," said Robinson. "When you shoot layups, the game becomes easier." 

QUOTABLE: "I made the transition here because it is a winning program. Just talking to coach Rob and the other staff, it just seemed very welcoming and very family-like, so I wanted to be a part of it. I've been having a great time.  GAME NOTES

• A&T head coach Tarrell Robinson and Hampton head coach David Six had many battles in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) over the years. Even though Robinson's Aggies defeated Six's Pirates twice for the MEAC tournament title, Saturday marked the first time Robinson has ever defeated Six in a regular-season game. Robinson was 0-for-6 coming into Saturday's matchup. 
• Both Hampton and A&T announced in 2022 that they would be leaving the Big South to join the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) starting in July. It will mark the fourth time both teams have been members of the same conference following stints in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the MEAC and the Big South. 
• Sixty-eight points are the lowest points the Aggies have scored at home in a win since scoring 60 in a win over North Carolina Central on December 11. 
• Robinson secured career win No. 188. All of those wins have come at A&T, putting four wins shy of becoming the program's all-time leader in wins. 
• The Aggies now have three players with 1,000 collegiate career points. Shareka McNeill did most of her scoring at Virginia Union. Kiana Adderton scored most of her points at Francis Marion. Chanin Scott is the one exception. She has scored 573 points at A&T over two seasons. She scored 545 points at Georgia Tech in three. 
• Center Jazmin Harris is 75 points shy of scoring 1,000 collegiate career points after doing most of her damage for the Charlotte 49ers. 

 
 
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