GAME NOTES
- Dorsey was honored in a pregame ceremony for reaching the 1,000-point mark for her career during Sunday's loss at Mercer. The senior guard is the first Aggie since the 2019-20 season to achieve that milestone and the 15th player all-time to score at least 1,000 exclusively in an Aggie women's uniform.
- The Rams were not charged with a foul in the third quarter.
GREENSBORO – It didn't have to be perfect for the North Carolina A&T women's basketball team to be grateful for how Thursday night's game turned out. It was a 68-42 victory against Winston-Salem State at Corbett Sports Center for the first win of the season.
"Thankful, blessed to finally put something else in front of that zero," coach Tarrell Robinson said. "Being 0-4 and not playing consistent basketball and not putting possessions and quarters together. A win is something we always celebrate."
Paris Locke poured in a career-high 21 points, and the Aggies had enough good stretches of defense to make it all work out.
"This is a win that we needed," Locke said. "I feel like this one is going to get us in the motion."
Robinson viewed it as a nice step in the right direction. He noted some glitches – like committing 26 turnovers – but the positives outweighed the rest on this night.
"We saw some good things, and we know we got to get better," Robinson said. "This time of the year, that's good. You don't want to see a finished product yet."
The Aggies did have some sore spots, such as shooting 6-for-16 from the free throw line. But it was Locke, who was aided by 9-for-16 shooting from the field, who stepped up repeatedly. Jordyn Dorsey connected on four 3-point shots on her way to 16 points and seven assists.
"Just my teammates trusting me," Locke said. "They gave me the ball. I didn't shoot the first shot, and Jordyn was like, 'Why are you not shooting?' She gave me confidence and the next shot I made."
The Aggies (1-4) can benefit from having that production from Locke as they await the return of their two star guards in graduates Maleia Bracone and D'Mya Tucker.
"We're fortunate to have her," Robinson said. "She's a gift."
Nine rebounds apiece from Dorsey and Chaniya Clark contributed to A&T's 50-33 advantage on the boards. Darrionna Howard provided 12 points and eight rebounds in 11 minutes off the bench.
"I want her to build on this and be consistent," Robinson said. "If she's consistent, she takes us to a whole other level, and she knows that."
Locke and Dorsey were keys early in the second half as the margin quickly grew to 43-22. Earlier, it took the Aggies more than three minutes to score their first points of the game. It was good that A&T had its defense working because some of those stops also contributed to offense, such as Dorsey's 3-pointer before the Rams got set on defense.
"We turned them over with our halfcourt press," Robinson said.
Suddenly, A&T was up 36-20 after Locke's 3-pointer and Keona Curtis' basket from the low post. That was the halftime score.
Clark had just 17 minutes of court time as she continues to work back from ailments. Robinson listed those as a dislocated finger and knee tendinitis. Meanwhile, 10 A&T players logged at least eight minutes. Potential key contributors might be lining up for the coaching staff to evaluate. Christiana McLean's 14 points led Winston-Salem State (1-5). The Aggies play another of their historic rivals when the North Carolina Central University (NCCU) Eagles come to Corbett Sports Center for a 7 p.m. game on Monday.
