MACON, Ga - In the transfer era of collegiate athletics, it is comforting for those who appreciate nostalgia that Jordyn Dorseys still exists. On Sunday against the Mercer Bears at Hawkins Arena, Dorsey became the 15th player in North Carolina A&T women's basketball program history to reach 1,000 career points exclusively in an Aggies uniform.
Dorsey needed seven points to reach 1,000 going into the game. She reached 1,000 career points on a steal and a layup with 8:23 remaining in the second quarter. Dorsey is the first player to accomplish the feat since Cinia McCray reached 1,000 career points during the 2019-20 season.
Unfortunately, an Aggies victory did not accompany Dorsey's milestone.
Mercer defeated A&T 46-38 in a defensive battle, dropping the Aggies to 0-4 on the season. Mercer held the Aggies to 25 percent shooting from the field. At the same time, the Aggies held Mercer to 37 percent, and the Bears won despite scoring in single digits in the first and third quarters.
During the defensive grind, the Aggies gritted their way to a five-point lead 29-24 to open the fourth quarter. However, the Bears erupted with a 9-0 run to take a four-point lead, finally finding their offensive rhythm by shooting 60 percent from the floor during the final period.
Despite that, Dorsey's drive to the basket, where she was fouled on the play, helped the Aggies tie the game at 34-34 as Dorsey completed the 3-point play with 4 1/2 minutes remaining. Dorsey's exciting basket would be the Aggies' final field goal until Dorsey scored on a floater with two seconds remaining in the ballgame.
In fact, the Aggies went four minutes without a point, allowing the Bears to outscore A&T 10-0 over that span to take over the game. A&T made 3 of its 14 field goal attempts in the fourth, leading to Mercer improving to 2-2 on the season.
The Aggies continue to play without two star guards in fifth-year seniors D'Mya Tucker and Maleia Bracone. Foul trouble forced preseason second-team All-CAA standout center Chaniya Clark to only play 21 minutes, limiting her to one point on the afternoon.
Both teams had trouble scoring in the first quarter. Yet, center Delaney Yarborough gave the Aggies a 10-3 lead before Ariana Bennett connected on a jump shot to send the Bears into the second quarter trailing 10-5.
Offensive struggles continued for A&T in the second quarter, where they shot just 2-for-12 and went without a field goal for the final six minutes of the quarter. Neither team scored for the final three minutes of the quarter, with the last points coming from two free throws by Dorsey, which sent the game into halftime with Mercer leading 18-17.
In the second half, Junior Keona Curtis - who hails from nearby Grovetown, Georgia - gave the Aggies the lead out of the locker room on a putback. Senior Reiven Douglas followed Curtis's score by netting a jumper, igniting a 10-2 A&T run to put the Aggies ahead 27-20 with 3:40 to play in the third quarter.
An Ashlee Locke layup pulled the Bears within five before Dorsey followed a Locke miss to put the Aggies ahead by seven. Bennett scored with a second remaining in the third, leading to the Aggies 29-24 lead going into the fourth.
Dorsey, A&T's latest 1,000-point scorer, led the Aggies in all major statistical categories by scoring 14 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and dishing out two assists. Sophomore Paris Locke was the only other Aggie in double figures, adding 13 points and five rebounds.
Aliyah Collins led Mercer with 13 points and three assists. A&T will return to Greensboro to face longtime HBCU rival Winston-Salem State University on Thursday, November 21, at 7 p.m. from Corbett Sports Center.
