Bland scores a career-high 33

Box Score
FORT WORTH, Texas, December 30, 2006 – The North Carolina A&T women’s basketball team lost to Texas Christian on Saturday, 106-84 at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, but walked away with a sense of good things to come as the crucial months of January, February and March approach.

Amber scored 33 on Saturday, and has scoring days of 30 and 28 already this season. Freshman Tweet Cook continued to find her way as the Aggies point guard with a season-high nine assists and the Aggies showed a lot of energy as they made run after run against the Horned Frogs on Saturday afternoon.

“I thought the young ladies fought hard tonight after losing to a great team on Thursday,’’ said head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs, who played ninth best team in the nation – Baylor – on Thursday, and the 29^th best team in the nation according to the USA Today/ESPN Coach’s poll on Saturday in TCU. Bibbs’ Aggies also played No. 8 Georgia earlier this season.

“Amber played a super game, but we have to rebound and we must get some help from off our bench.”

The Frogs led by as many as 27 in the second half thanks to the hot shooting of Ashley Davis, who had 22 points on 5-for-5 shooting from 3-point range. Bland began to assert herself from there. The sophomore guard out of Boardman, Ohio started her onslaught with a jumper in the paint with 14:07 remaining to cut the lead to 25, 73-48

Eight minutes later Bland was fouled on a 3-pointer by Moneka Knight. Bland’s three straight made free throws completed what was a 24-10 Aggies run that moved them within 11, 83-72. The Aggies had several opportunities to slice the Frogs lead under 10. But a N.C. A&T turnover and two Frog offensive rebounds prevent the Aggies from doing so.

On the latter Frogs offensive board, Lorie Butler-Rayford put the offensive board back in for an 85-72 lead.

After Brittanie Taylor-James’ free throw cut it to 12, the Aggies had another chance to make the game tighter, but the Frogs turnover was matched by an Aggies turnover. Davis’ jumper from the corner was followed by a Hanna Biernacka 3-point play that pushed the Frogs lead to 17 with 4:56 to play.

Two free throws apiece from Cook and Taylor-James gave the Aggies hope as they trailed 90-77, but another Butler-Rayford offensive rebound and putback increased the Frogs lead to 15 with four minutes to go. The Aggies never got any closer the rest of the night.

“We had our chances,’’ said Bibbs. “We had to sit Amber in the first half with foul trouble, and I think we fell into a little lull, which allowed them to build a lead. But I think our ladies are ready for conference play, which is what we are trying to do when we play this kind of competition.”

The Aggies led by as many as four in the first half, and trailed by just 1, 27-26, thanks to a Bland jumper with 6:28 to play. But a Davis three sparked a 16-2 Frogs run that gave TCU a 15-point lead that the Aggies were never able to work under double figures the rest of the way.

Adrianne Ross added 23 points for the Frogs (9-4). Taylor-James complemented Bland with a season-high 16 points, while Lamona Smalley added 10 points and nine rebounds. The Aggies are 6-6 on the season and begin playing conference games exclusively on Jan. 6 when they face Maryland-Eastern Shore at home at 2 p.m.