BALTIMORE (January 16, 2017) – North Carolina A&T women's basketball team picked up their first road win of the season on Monday as they defeated Morgan State 67-62 at Hill Field House. The Aggies (6-12, 2-3 MEAC) survived a fourth-quarter surge by the Bears that nearly derailed the Aggies important feat.
“This is exciting for us,” said head coach Tarrell Robinson. “I was telling the ladies yesterday at practice that in league play you have to lead with your best punch. Other teams like Coppin (State) have done that to us this season, but tonight it was our turn.”
Monday's game was a near reverse of what happened to the Aggies on Saturday when they trailed by 18 going into the fourth quarter before their rally fell short against Coppin. At Morgan, the Aggies were the team with the 18-point lead going into the fourth quarter before they received a bit of their own medicine as the tide began to shift in the final quarter.
The Bears picked up offensive momentum through their defensive pressure. Graduate guard Aliyah Kilpatrick drove to the basket with 6:39 remaining and scored to give the Aggies a 61-45 lead. The Bears then kicked off a 10-0 run with a 3-pointer from Braennan Farrar. Jayde Duncan capped the run with two free throws that sliced the Aggies lead to 61-55 with three minutes to play. Two minutes later the Bears brought the game within one possession on an Ivy Harrington jump shot that dropped the Aggies once double-digit lead to three, 63-60.
After an Aggies turnover, Tykyrah Williams followed a Chelsea Mitchell to cut the lead to 63-62 with 24 seconds remaining. But with the shot clock off, the Bears (2-15, 0-4 MEAC) were forced to foul. Kilpatrick took the gifts and netted four straight free throws to seal the game. It was a career game for sophomore Charnise Tyler who scored a career-best 17 points to go along with her seven rebounds. Kilpatrick finished with 11 points and a season-high eight assists. Alexus Lessears and Baltimore native Michelle Fitzgerald also scored in double figures with 10 apiece.
“Charnise Tyler came in ready to play tonight in front of her hometown crowd,” said Robinson about the District Heights, Md., native. “Aliyah Kilpatrick really iced the game with her free throws for us and the fact that you could get 27 points and 11 rebounds from Alexus and Charnise says a lot about our interior play. They are only going to get better.”
The Aggies led the entire game, but really started putting distance between them and Morgan in the third quarter. N.C. A&T led 32-25 at the half. Over the first five minutes the inside presence Lessears and Tyler moved the lead to 42-27 as the center duo scored 10 of the Aggies' 23 third-quarter points. The Aggies reached their largest lead of the game, 53-34, on a layup from Kala Green with 46 seconds remaining.
“Morgan stayed with us even when we led by 19, so I can walk away knowing we got a win against a good team,” said Robinson. “We just need to fix the little things. Suffering two close losses, this win gives us the confidence we need heading into a game against a really hot Howard team.”
The Aggies will play host to Howard (7-8, 3-0 MEAC) on Jan. 21 at 2 p.m.
