Courtesy of North Carolina Athletics
68
Final
Jan. 06, 2023
52
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCAT | 15 | 10 | 23 | 20 | 68 |
| MU | 15 | 19 | 14 | 4 | 52 |
WEST LONG BEACH, N.J. – North Carolina A&T women’s basketball is not only undefeated as first-year members of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), two of its three wins have come on the road.
Even better, the latest road win was a thrilling 68-52 come-from-behind win over the Monmouth Hawks Friday night at the OceanFirst Bank Center. The win improved the Aggies to 3-0 in league play and 9-5 overall as they won their fourth straight. In the process, the Aggies handed Monmouth 7-7, 2-1 CAA) its first conference loss.
“As much as I wanted to gripe on our first half performance, the way this team responded in the second half against a very-well coached Monmouth team, I can only applaud how they figured out a way to secure another road win,” said A&T head coach Tarrell Robinson.
The Aggies headed to the locker room at halftime trailing 34-25 after trailing by as many as 12 in the first half. But the Aggies all but erased over the first 2 1/2 minutes of the second half as junior D’Mya Tucker took a pass from sophomore Jordyn Dorsey to net a three, completing a 10-1 A&T run that cut Monmouth’s lead to 36-35.
With 5:52 remaining in the third quarter, sophomore Taila Davis knocked down another A&T three to tie the game at 40. Ninety seconds later, two Laila Acox free throws gave the Aggies their first lead since it was 2-0 30 seconds into the game.
There were five lead changes and three ties over the final four minutes of the third quarter as the two teams went into the fourth quarter tied at 48. A&T dominated from there, outscoring the Hawks 20-4 in the fourth.
The quarter started with an 11-2 spurt from A&T, which included four points from Tucker and a three from senior Nyah Willis, giving the Aggies a 59-50 lead with 5:20 to play. Two Lucy Thomas free throws cut the Aggies lead to seven, but the Hawks never scored again.
“It was a group effort,” said Robinson. “We took a lot of steps in the right direction when it comes to reaching our potential with this group. To win how we’re winning and knowing we haven’t peaked yet is exciting for our program.”
The Aggies offensive and defensive effort in the second half led to A&T outscoring Monmouth 43-18 over the final 20 minutes. A&T shot 55 percent (18-for-33) in the second half and held the Hawks to 22 percent shooting, including a 1-for-14 showing in the fourth quarter. They missed their final 12 field goal attempts.
Graduate center Jazmin Harris recorded her fourth consecutive double-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots on 9-for-15 shooting. Harris is the CAA leader in double-doubles with six. She had eight points and five rebounds in the fourth quarter.
Tucker had 11 points and seven rebounds, and junior Maleia Bracone secured a career-high 10 assists. Bracone’s 10 assists are the most by an Aggie since Chanin Scott posted 10 assists against Campbell on Jan. 31, 2022. Dorsey added 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Willis added 10 points, shooting 4-for-8 from the field, including 2-for-3 from 3-point range. Thomas led Monmouth with 14 points and nine rebounds.
A&T will try to finish its three-game road trip undefeated as they face Hofstra in Hempstead, N.Y., Sunday at 2 p.m.
