Women's Basketball | 2/6/2026 11:58:00 PM

GREENSBORO – There is no question that graduate guard D'Mya Tucker, fifth-year center Chaniya Clark and junior forward Paris Locke are the leaders and the players the North Carolina A&T women's basketball team relies heavily on to get wins.

But on Friday night against the Elon Phoenix, Tucker did not play for the second straight game due to injury, and Clark was beset by foul trouble throughout the game. Despite those setbacks, the Aggies used the youngsters and Locke to defeat Elon 67-61 in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) hoops at Corbett Sports Center.

The win marks the Aggies' second straight, improving the defending CAA regular-season champions to 9-12 overall and 4-6 in conference play. The Aggies struggled from the line in the first half, shooting 8-for-15 (.533), but sealed the victory to split the season series with the Phoenix by shooting 19-for-21 (.905).

Locke posted 14 points, 11 rebounds and four assists to secure her fourth career double-double and her second of the season. Despite coming into the game shooting 64.7 percent from the foul line, Locke went 10-for-12 from the line on Friday. Freshman Anaya Karriem stepped in for the foul-plagued Clark to provide 10 points and five rebounds.

Another frosh, guard Crystal Hardy, scored 12 points on 4-for-4 shooting from the free throw line. Meanwhile, freshman point guard Jamyia Lindsey made two key defensive plays down the stretch to help matters.

"Coach Rob (A&T women's basketball coach Tarrell Robinson) and I had a conversation in his office, and he told me that we have our big three (Tucker, Clark and Locke), and he told me that I don't have to score to have a good game," said Lindsey. "That really boosted my confidence to know that making assists, making plays, and playing defense is a good game for me as a point guard."

A&T trailed by as many as seven in the second half after a Tamia Watkins free throw gave the Phoenix a 35-28 lead 75 seconds into the second half. Elon went into the fourth quarter leading 49-44. However, the Aggies opened the fourth quarter by outscoring the Phoenix 12-2. During the run, Lindsey's 3-pointer tied the game 51-51. A&T then crashed the boards. Junior Darrionna Howard followed a miss with a tip-in, and Karriem did the same and was fouled. Her tip-in and free throw gave the Aggies a 56-51 lead with 5:45 remaining in the game.

"I'm really proud of my team, especially our freshmen," said Robinson. "All of them who played found their own moments and opportunities to step up and get this win. I was telling them in our pregame that they must grow up. They're no longer freshmen."

Lindsey found one of her moments after Elon got to within two, 58-56, on a Laila Anderson free throw with 3 ½ minutes to play. Ninety seconds later, Anderson drove to the basket to tie the game before Lindsey stepped in and blocked her shot. Locke complemented the play by knocking down two free throws to push A&T's lead to four. After Locke's free throws, Lindsey forced Ashanti Fox into a double dribble, which led to two more free throws by Karriem to give the Aggies a 62-56 lead with 26 seconds to play.

Elon did cut the lead to three, 64-61, on a 3-pointer from Anderson, but the Aggies were marvelous from the line as Locke netted two more free throws to seal the deal. In addition to turning things around at the free-throw line in the second half, the Aggies also got it together on the boards.

The Phoenix out-rebounded A&T 26-16 in the first half, but the Aggies came back to have a 23-15 advantage in rebounding in the second half.

"I do think we turned it around, particularly in the fourth quarter," Robinson said. 'One thing about this group, because I was getting on them at halftime, they did a good job of responding. We didn't get a lot of bad body language. It was acceptance with great eye contact, and then going out there on the court and executing."

Anderson led the Phoenix with 14 points, as the team shot just 30.6 percent from the field. The Aggies return to action on Sunday, February 8, when they travel to Buies Creek, NC, to face the Campbell Fighting Camels at Gore Arena.