GREENSBORO – "That's Lady Aggies Basketball."
Those were the words uttered by North Carolina A&T women's basketball coach Tarrell Robinson after his Aggies defeated the Hampton University (HU) Pirates 70-57 Sunday afternoon at Corbett Sports Center.
That statement was apropos considering the many former A&T women's basketball players in attendance on Sunday for the program's Alumnae Day. Plus, the elements of the successful 14-season Robinson era were also present. The Aggies played tenacious defense, relied on veteran players to lead the offense, and used their size advantage to their advantage. But getting back to Lady Aggies Basketball was a process that occurred during the Aggies' seven days away from competition.
"We felt like we gave away the game against Stony Brook," said Robinson about the Aggies 56-51 loss at Stony Brook on January 11. "I've been on all of them. We had a bye week, so they heard my mouth a lot, and this shows they're listening."
Robinson earned victory No. 255, pushing him past Don Corbett for the second most wins in A&T basketball history -- men or women. Cal Irvin holds the top mark with 348 wins. The program's all-time leader in women's basketball victories said he "Called his team out."
They had more worries than their shots not going in. They also needed to defend, play as a team, and stay connected. The sermon appeared effective. The Aggies' three most experienced players – junior Paris Locke, fifth-year senior Chaniya Clark, and graduate D'Mya Tucker led the Aggies offensively.
Clark tied a career-high with 20 points to go along seven rebounds on 7-for-14 shooting from the field, 2-for-4 from 3-point range and 4-for-4 from the line. Tucker added 17 points, five rebounds and four assists on 6-for-11 shooting, and Locke added 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists on 5-for-10 shooting.
"I let the film do the talking. I coach the effort and the attitudes, and then we talk about the execution the next day," Robinson said. "With grown women, you have to show them exactly what you're talking about, so it was a tremendous response by them, and I'm excited about what's next."
The last time the Aggies played, they jumped out to a 14-2 lead at Stony Brook but could not maintain it. On Sunday, A&T led 13-2 after the game's first seven minutes, but this time A&T never relinquished the lead. The Pirates made only one of their first 13 shot attempts, but still managed to get to within five, 15-10, on an Arlisha Boston 3-pointer with 8 ½ minutes remaining in the first half.
However, the Aggies never let up defensively, forcing the Pirates into some tough shots. The Aggies then put together a 10-0 run, capped off by a Crystal Hardy 3-pointer, to take a 31-16 lead with 82 seconds remaining in the first half. Tucker's pull-up jumper gave A&T a 33-18 lead at halftime.
"My whole thing this season was really being able to work on my pull-up jumper and taking open threes," said Tucker. "I'm really focusing on that and not worrying about if it's a miss. If it's a good shot, then take it. If it's a miss, my teammates can get the rebound. I want to take my opportunities wisely."
The Aggies led by as many as 24 in the second half and simply outsized Hampton, outscoring the Pirates 30-12 in the paint and outrebounding them 45-27.
"Coach Rob always tells me to look for my shot in transition," said Clark about her big scoring afternoon. "So, I felt like when everyone was running back to the paint, I had the open shot, and I was just taking my time to finish around the basket. Going straight up and not pump faking or anything, but just getting into their body."
Kiarra McElrath scored 20 points, but the Pirates dropped to 8-9 overall and 2-3 in the Coastal Athletic Association. The Aggies improved to 7-9 overall and 2-3 in CAA action. A&T stays local for its next game, traveling to Elon to face the Phoenix at 7 p.m., Friday, January 23.
"I'm imperfect, we all are," said Tucker. "I still make mistakes, but I just don't hold my head down. I just continue to work and make it work."
Sounds like Lady Aggies Basketball.
