TOWSON, Md. – North Carolina A&T junior center Chaniya "Shaq" Clark played Tiger tamer again on Sunday for the women's basketball team.
A little more than a year to the day that the 6-foot-4 Clark hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer against the Towson Tigers to send the January 7, 2024 game into overtime at Corbett Sports Center, a game the Aggies eventually won, she netted a 3-pointer to give the Aggies the lead late at TU Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Seconds later, she sealed the 61-59 A&T win by taking a charge. It marked the Aggies' sixth straight win as they improved to 8-7 overall and 4-0 in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). The Aggies, the CAA preseason favorites, have sole possession of first place after Stony Brook defeated Charleston, who came into the game 3-0 in the league.
"Chaniya is one of the most clutch players I've ever coached," said A&T head Tarrell Robinson. "She just doesn't fold in those moments. Whatever we ask her to do, she will do it to the best of her ability.
Today, it was knock down a game-winning 3-pointer with seconds left on the clock. Oh, and by the way, we also need you to make a defensive play to end the game. Just a tremendous effort by her today."
Towson indeed had a problem in the form of Clark.
The offensive foul she took late in the game marked the eighth time she drew a foul on Sunday. She scored 17 points and had 10 rebounds to secure the 13th double-double of her career and her second of the season. Clark shot 4-for-6 from the field, 7-for-9 from the free throw line and 2-for-2 from 3-point range.
Towson dropped to 3-12 overall and 1-3 in CAA play but remained competitive with the Aggies throughout the contest. Neither team led by more than five points the entire afternoon, and the Tigers led late into the fourth quarter.
After A&T sophomore forward Paris Locke stepped into a 3-pointer and netted it from the corner to give the Aggies a 54-50 advantage with 7 ½ minutes to play in the game, the Tigers put together a 9-0 run. The Tigers' run lasted 5 ½ minutes and culminated with India Johnston driving to the basket and scoring while being fouled by Maleia Bracone. Johnston completed the 3-point play to give the Tigers a 59-54 lead.
Johnston led the Tigers with 21 points.
Bracone took the 3-points right back. After taking a pass from Locke, she swished a 3-pointer from nearly the same spot Locke hit hers earlier to cut the Tigers lead to two with 87 seconds remaining.
Johnston tried to answer on the other end, but her 3-point attempt rimmed out and into Clark's grasp, leading to an A&T timeout. Out of the timeout, however, Locke turned the ball over after stepping out of bounds trying to drive baseline. That led to a Tigers timeout.
Out of that timeout, the Aggies trapped Johnston, leading to Jordyn Dorsey forcing a jump ball situation that turned the ball over to the Aggies.
Clark then took the pass from Dorsey and put the first touches on diminishing Towson's hope of an upset by knocking down her big-time 3-point shot from the top of the key to give the Aggies a 60-59 lead with 14.1 seconds remaining. She finished the job three seconds later when she took a charge from Khady Leye trying to drive baseline.
Bracone made the first free throw after being fouled by Johnston. She missed the second, giving Towson possession. But Johnston's 3-point attempt fell short.
Dorsey finished with 16 points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists. Locke added 11 points. A&T's last three wins have come on the road.
"We are the preseason favorites," said Robinson. "We expect everyone's best effort, and you know what, we also plan to give them ours. These road victories are character and confidence builders for us. We must keep learning and improving every step of the way."
A&T returns home to Corbett Sports Center Friday night to face the Drexel Dragons at 7 p.m.
