GREENSBORO – The fight for the double-bye at the 2024 Coastal Athletic Association Women's Basketball Championship Tournament got a little more interesting Thursday night following North Carolina A&T's 67-54 loss to Drexel at Corbett Sports Center.
The Aggies (18-10) are now in a three-way tie for third place with William & Mary and the College of Charleston at 12-5. Defending CAA champion Monmouth is in second place behind regular-season champion Stony Brook at 13-4. The current standings will make for an intriguing Saturday afternoon as teams fight for the remaining three double-byes, which means they will only need to win three games in three days to win the tournament.
A&T could have put themselves in a solid position to secure a double bye with a win on Thursday, but Amaris Baker and the Drexel Dragons had a different outcome in mind. Baker played 40 minutes and scored 26 points on 9-for-13 shooting from the floor and 5-for-5 from 3-point range.
Before Baker got going, an excellent second quarter propelled A&T to the halftime lead. After trailing by seven, 16-7, on a Baker 3-pointer to open the second quarter, the Aggies put together a 12-0 run that included a 10-footer from senior Laila Acox and a steal and a drive to the basket by Acox to give the Aggies a 21-16 lead.
The Aggies led by as many as eight in the first half after Acox followed a Maleia Bracone miss to take a 29-21 lead with 27 seconds remaining in the first half. Brooke Mullin drained a jump shot right before halftime to cut the Dragons deficit to six, 29-23. All looked good in the opening of the second half as well. A&T opened the second half outscoring the Dragons 8-2 over the first 4 ½ minutes, with the spurt culminating in an and-1 for junior guard Jordyn Dorsey, giving A&T a 37-27 advantage.
Drexel caught fire from there. The Dragons went 6-for-8 from the floor over the final five minutes of the third quarter. During the hot streak, Hetta Saatman hit a three to cut A&T's lead to 37-34, and Baker's 3-pointer tied the game at 39-39. Baker also leaked out for a fast-break layup, catching a baseball pass from Chloe Hodges to take a 41-39 lead into the fourth quarter. The Dragons hit three of their first four shots to open the fourth to increase their lead to nine, 50-41 with 8:12 remaining in the game. But A&T fought back.
A 7-2 spurt by the Aggies ending with another Dorsey 3-point play cut Drexel's lead to 52-48. The Aggies had two more chances to cut into Drexel's lead but missed a three, followed by a baseline jumper. Baker made them pay, taking a pass from Mullins to net a corner three. It sparked a 10-0 run to give Drexel a 62-48 lead with two minutes to play.
Sophomore center Chaniya Clark tied a career-high with 13 rebounds and secured her eighth career double-double with 12 points on 6-for-10 shooting. Senior guard D'Mya Tucker added 11 points and five rebounds. The Aggies out-rebounded the Dragons 40-22, including a 14-2 advantage on the offensive glass. This led to the Aggies outscoring Drexel 12-0 in second-chance points. But the Dragons scored 20 points off 23 A&T turnovers.
Several scenarios could play out after Saturday's action. Most favor A&T getting the double bye except for a four-way tie between A&T, Monmouth, Charleston, and William & Mary, where the Aggies have a 1-3 record against those teams. A&T closes the regular season at home on Saturday against Hofstra with a 2 p.m. tip. The CAA tournament starts Wednesday, March 13, and runs through Sunday, March 17, at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, D.C.
