GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T graduate wing D'Mya Tucker last played in Corbett Sports Center on March 29, 2024, in a Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) game against Troy. She left that game with two minutes remaining in the first half with a devastating leg injury.
Well, on Wednesday, in the A&T women's basketball home opener against the Shaw Bears, Tucker was back. And she brought some friends with her – new and old. In Tucker's return to Club Corbett, she posted 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists as the Aggies won easily over the Division II Shaw Bears, 77-28.
The win improves A&T to 1-3 on the season. Mahogany Collins led the Bears with 13 rebounds and eight blocked shots in their season opener.
Meanwhile, among Tucker's old buddies from the 2023-24 season are fifth-year center Chaniya Clark and junior Paris Locke. Locke recorded 14 points and four rebounds on 6-for-11 shooting. Clark added 12 points and 10 rebounds to record the 21st double-double of her remarkable career.
Freshman forward Anaya Karriem and freshman Crystal Hardy were among the new buddies. Karriem posted eight points and 10 rebounds. Hardy provided a spark off the bench early with her 3-point shooting, finishing with 12 points and two assists on 3-for-5 shooting from 3-point range.
It was amazing," said Tucker about her return to competition, a place she has competed in since her first game at Corbett on December 20, 2020, against Elon. "I'm really thankful I could come back here and put together one more season not just for our fans, but alumni and future prospective students to let them know this is a winning environment. I'm just more than grateful to be back."
A&T head coach Tarrell Robinson said he had that "moment" of seeing Tucker competing again when the Aggies made their season debut at Texas Tech on November 3. Robinson feels so comfortable and at ease with Tucker on the floor that he often must catch himself to make sure he doesn't leave her out on the floor too long. Tucker played for 27 minutes on Wednesday night, with most of those minutes coming with the Aggies holding a massive lead.
It did not start that way. The Bears held a 9-5 lead with 4:15 remaining in the first quarter. But a turnaround jumper from Karriem and two free throws from graduate guard Jordan Brown tied the game at 9-9 before Tucker drove to the basket for her first two points in Corbett since her injury 20 months ago. However, after Shaw tied the game, it was sophomore Eva Andrews's transition 3-pointer that seemed to ignite the blowout.
With a minute remaining in the first quarter, Locke grabbed a rebound and got the Aggies moving up court quickly by whipping a pass to Brown. Brown found a sprinting Andrews coming down the floor as the trailer. Andrews slowed down long enough to step into a 3-pointer that she swished to give the Aggies a 14-11 lead.
Andrews ignited an impressive crowd assembled at Corbett Sports Center, and she appeared to do the same for A&T's women's basketball team. Sophomore Elliott Jessup ended the quarter with a putback. A&T's run extended into the second quarter. When Locke scored on a layup with 6 ½ minutes remaining in the first half, the Aggies had outscored the Bears 24-2 since the 4:15 mark of the first quarter.
It resulted in the Aggies taking a 29-11 lead, which they expanded to a 41-17 lead at halftime. Despite the blowout win, A&T's six-year veteran still sees room for improvement.
"We have to understand our offense more," said Tucker. "We're still learning. We're still learning our roles. Defensively, our help side and our on-ball defense, we can improve on that. We do have some high spots, knowing some reads here and there and crashing the boards, things of that nature."
A&T will get another chance to improve on Sunday afternoon when they face the Winston-Salem State Rams at Corbett Sports Center. Tip-off is at 2 p.m.
