GREENSBORO – The North Carolina A&T and Northeastern women's basketball teams played a game of try to top this one on Friday night at Corbett Sports Center that the Aggies ultimately won over the Huskies 89-86 in a mind-blowing triple overtime game.

Friday marked A&T's first triple overtime game since beating Delaware State on February 4, 1989. Earlier this season in Boston, the Aggies beat Northeastern in double overtime, which means the two teams have played a total of 105 minutes against each other this season.

Amongst the craziness, junior forward Paris Locke made program history, becoming the first player to secure a triple-double, ending the game with 22 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds – all career highs. Two things make her triple-double even more impressive. One: In 51 minutes of play, she did not turn the ball over once. And two, she secured the triple-double in regulation.

"I trust my teammates," said Locke. "I trust them to make the open shot. That's why I got all those assists, so I'm just grateful that I was able to have this opportunity tonight."

It was Locke's inbounds pass with 11.1 seconds remaining that started the game of try to top this. Locke tried to inbound the ball off the back of a Northeastern defender. She missed her target as the ball ricocheted off the defender's leg. Aggies fifth-year senior Chanyia Clark hustled to the corner to pick up a loose ball.

With Huskies center Justice Tramble draped all over her, Clark picked up the ball, faded back toward the A&T bench, and got off an incredible shot with pretty good form considering the circumstances of the clock sprinting to zero. The 3-point shot banked in to give the Aggies a 70-68 lead with 2.2 seconds remaining.


But the try to top this game continued because Camryn Collins took an inbounds bounce pass from Yirsy Quéliz and made an incredible 15-foot turnaround jumper from the baseline that, like Clark's shot, banked in. Collins's shot sent the game into overtime tied 70-70. That madness, however, only served as the preliminary madness.

In overtime, A&T freshman point guard Jamyia Lindsey found graduate guard D'Mya Tucker for a turnaround jumper that tied the game at 74-74 with 30.5 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession, the Huskies called a timeout with 5.6 seconds remaining in overtime, but 5.5 remaining on the shot clock. That fact would prove vital. When play resumed, a mad frenzy led to the ball rolling out of a scrum.

Northeastern's Morgan Matthews picked up the ball and, with her body sideways, threw the ball up toward the basket and made it at the buzzer to give the Huskies what appeared to be a buzzer-beater win because Matthews's shot did get off before the game clock ticked to zero. However, after referees reviewed the play, the shot clock expired a fraction of a second before the game clock.

Therefore, the review revealed the Huskies committed a shot-clock violation, giving the Aggies the ball back on a turnover with 0.5 seconds remaining and the game still tied at 74.
That gave Clark another attempt at a miracle shot, but this time her nearly half-court launch hit the front of the rim and fell short to send the game into a second overtime.

In overtime, Tramble, who finished the game with 18 points and 21 rebounds, including 12 offensive rebounds, gave the Huskies a 79-78 lead with 1:05 remaining. Tucker drove to the basket and got fouled by Quéliz. Tucker made one of two free throws to tie the game with 40 seconds to play. After Quéliz missed a layup, the Aggies had a chance to win the game, but sophomore Elliott Jessup missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into triple overtime.

"No," said A&T head coach Tarrell Robinson when asked if he had ever been a part of a game like Friday night's. "You don't really think as a coach you're going to be a part of that. I'm like, what's going on? But you're in it, and you're in it to try to win, and encourage them. That's the biggest thing. They were resilient."

That they were, and with 11 seconds remaining in triple OT, Locke found Clark standing a few feet behind the 3-point arc. She whipped a pass to her, and with confidence, Clark took the 3-point shot, holding the shot pose as the ball went through the net, giving the Aggies an 89-86 lead. But wait, the Huskies were not finished playing the top this game.

They had two really good looks at 3-point shots, but both shots rimmed out to finally give A&T the win, snapping a three-game losing streak to improve to 10-15 overall and 5-9 in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play. Northeastern is 7-17 overall and 3-11 in league play. Locke was one of five Aggies to score in double figures as Clark finished with a career-high 22 points.
Tucker finished with 15 while Jessup came off the bench to score 11. Freshman center Anaya Karriem added 10 points.

"You saw us trying to find time to give them a breather," said Robinson. "Paris and Chaniya and D'Mya needed it. D'Mya had to use the bathroom during the game. I guess the game went on too long for her bladder-holding time. So, it was a good game, the longest game I've coached. And I'm here as late as I am, talking to you guys, but fun game."

The Aggies will get a week off from competition before traveling to West Long Branch, NJ, to face the Monmouth Hawks on Friday at 7 p.m.