HAMPTON, Va. – North Carolina A&T head women's basketball coach Tarrell Robinson and Hampton head women's basketball coach David Six matched witts for the 13th time Sunday afternoon at Hampton's Convocation Center.

As expected from two men who are the all-time winningest coaches for their respective programs and who once fought for Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference supremacy for many years, the game was a back-and-forth thriller where the Aggies used a late run to complete their Tidewater road trip 2-0 with a 67-57 win. 

The Aggies (9-6, 3-1 CAA) have won three straight and six of their last seven. Hampton (0-13, 0-3 CAA) remains winless. After going 0-for-4 in his first four trips to Hampton's Convocation Center, Robinson has now won his last two games there. He also improved to 5-8 all-time against Six. The average margin of victory in a Six-Robinson matchup is 8.3 points. 

"It was a usual A&T versus Hampton, David Six versus Tarrell Robinson game," said Robinson. "It was a game of runs. We had the first run, the first wave because we were really dictating tempo. We were not sending them to the free throw line. But coach Six is always well prepared, and he came out in a zone in the second half, something we hadn't practiced, and you could see our rhythm and execution were off. But in the last five minutes of the game, which is the most important, we knocked down free throws and executed in the halfcourt."

A&T held a 34-23 lead at the half behind nine first-quarter points on three 3-pointers from senior guard Maleia Bracone and nine second-quarter points from junior point guard Jordyn Dorsey. But the Pirates scored the first nine points coming out of the locker room to get to within two. In the game of runs, the Aggies responded with an 8-3 spurt capped by a Chaniya Clark putback to give the Aggies a 42-35 lead with 1:20 remaining in the third quarter. 

However, Hampton's 6-1 run to end the quarter sent the Pirates into the fourth quarter trailing 43-41. Hampton completed its erasing of A&T's halftime lead by taking the 45-43 lead in the fourth on an Amyah Reaves jumper with 8:47 remaining in the game. The two teams tied twice after Reaves's jumper, the final time on a Le'asia Foreman layup that made it a 48-48 game. 

A Bracone mid-range jumper and an excellent bounce pass from Dorsey to Laila Acox pushed the Aggies lead to four before Camryn Hill found herself open in the corner for a 3-pointer to cut the Aggies lead to one. Following an A&T timeout, Dorsey made a solid move to the bucket and scored to give the Aggies a 54-51 lead with 5:13 to play. After Hampton's Cheyenne Talbot made one of two free throws, the Aggies turned to their freshman standout Paris Locke. 

With 3 1/2 minutes to play, D'Mya Tucker grabbed a defensive rebound and started a transition break. Tucker noticed Locke spotting up for a three, zipped her a pass, and Locke netted the three to put the Aggies ahead by five. Ninety seconds later, Locke dove on the floor for a loose ball, allowing the Aggies to call timeout. 

After the timeout, Dorsey threw the ball into Clark in the post, and Clark connected on a turnaround jumper to give the Aggies a 59-53 lead with 1:52 remaining. A&T sealed the win at the free throw line. 

"I told Paris she is not a freshman anymore," said Robinson. "We are in the second semester; she's a sophomore. Paris is growing every game. In the William & Mary game (Friday), I took her out because she didn't shoot the ball. Right before that three, she made (Sunday), she shot an airball. 

But she remembered. Coach said to keep shooting. That was a heckuva shot, and she makes a lot of plays like that where she gets her hands on loose balls, she gets us in transition; she really is a jack-of-all-trades. And believe me, she has more in her bag."

Dorsey led the Aggies with 18 points and six rebounds on 7-for-8 shooting from the line. Bracone netted four 3-pointers to finish with 16 points. Clark secured the fifth double-double of her career and her fifth this season, finishing with 12 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots on 6-for-9 shooting. 

Foreman led Hampton with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Aggies get a week off from competition before facing the Delaware Blue Hens at 2 p.m. on Sunday, January 21, at Corbett Sports Center.