WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – North Carolina A&T women's basketball has created an identity early in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) season. They are good at gaining extra possessions through vigorous offensive rebounding and making it hard to score on the possessions the opponents do get.
A Chaniya Clark layup put the Aggies ahead for good in the fourth quarter, and the Aggies went 11-for-12 at the free throw line in the fourth quarter as they won their first CAA road game of the season with a 55-53 win over William & Mary at Kaplan Arena. After holding CAA preseason favorite Towson to 21.7 percent shooting on Sunday, the Aggies held the Tribe to 28.6 percent. Also, for the second straight game, the Aggies made an outstanding effort in defending their opponent's leading scorer.
CAA preseason player of the year, Towson's Kylie Kornegay-Lucas, shot 7-for-20 from the floor against the Aggies on Sunday. William & Mary's leading scorer, center Nylah Young, who came into the game averaging better than 15 points per game, finished with eight points on 2-for-15 shooting. In addition, the Aggies had a 52-32 rebounding advantage over the Tribe. The Aggies are averaging 56.3 rebounds per game in conference play and have a plus-19.3 rebounding margin in their three conference games.
A&T has won five of six to improve to 8-6 on the season, and the Aggies are off to a 2-1 in CAA play. William & Mary dropped to 6-8 overall and 2-1 in league play.
"We take pride in defending and rebounding," said A&T head coach Tarrell Robinson. "It has been our equalizer the last two games. I'm so proud of our effort not just to guard well but finish with a box out and the possession."
A&T has relied heavily on their defensive effort because the Aggies are shooting 30.4 percent from the field, including 19.2 percent from 3-point range against conference competition. It really went into full gear in the fourth quarter after an Alexa Mikeska layup gave the Tribe a 44-40 lead two minutes into the fourth. The Tribe went the next six minutes without a point. Offensively, senior guard D'Mya Tucker had the Aggies' answer when she completed an and-one to bring the Aggies to within one.
Two more Tucker free throws gave the Aggies a 45-44 lead. Young broke the Tribe's scoring drought with two free throws to help the Tribe reclaim the lead with 1:55 remaining. Forty-five seconds later, A&T senior guard Maleia Bracone dribbled down the floor and spotted Clark in the post with her defender fronting her. Bracone threw a perfect lob pass into the post over the defender's head, and Clark finished to give the Aggies a 47-46 lead. They never trailed again.
Bracone netted four consecutive free throws to put the Aggies ahead by five, 51-46, with 16 seconds remaining. Mikeska gave the Tribe its first field goal since the 8:33 mark of the fourth quarter when she scored on a layup with seven seconds remaining. Tucker followed with two A&T free throws to push the lead back to five. But Bella Nascimento kept the Tribe alive by hitting a 3-pointer off the glass with two seconds remaining to cut A&T's lead to 53-51. But on the ensuing in-bounds play, freshman Paris Locke threw a baseball pass to Tucker that was deflected by William & Mary. As the loose ball rolled, the clock expired.
Tucker and Bracone went 6-for-6 from the line. Sean Kelly Darks was 4-for-4. Dorsey led the Aggies with 11 points and eight rebounds, including six on the offensive end. Tucker finished with 10 points and five boards. Nascimento came off the bench to score 14 for the Tribe.
"If we didn't go 11-for-12 from the line, we might not have walked away with the win," said Robinson. "Shooting like that is how you win on the road. It also says we're getting the ball in the right people's hands who can knock down those free throws."
A&T will try to pick up another road win on Sunday when they play familiar foe Hampton at the Hampton Convocation Center at 2 p.m. It will be the 45th meeting between the two programs.
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