Four Aggies score in double figures

Box Score                             Postgame Press Conference
GREENSBORO, February 4, 2008 – What started out as a battle for first-place turned out to be a game that strongly solidified the North Carolina A&T women’s basketball team as the team to beat in the MEAC.

 The Aggies forced the MEAC’s second-place Hampton Pirates into 39 turnovers and placed four players in double figures to earn a 73-41 win. Junior forward Brittanie Taylor-James led the Aggies with 18 points. Junior Amber Bland scored 14 points and added seven rebounds. Senior Nancy Rembert finished the night with 13 points and nine boards.

With the win the Aggies (15-5, 8-0) have defeated the four teams ranked below them in the standings. They don’t play Coppin State again and their return games against Maryland-Eastern Shore and Delaware State are at home, while they will have to go on the road when they next meet the Pirates.

“I don’t want to lose any games (during the regular season) but our focus is on winning a championship,’’ said head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs. “Everybody found out from the Super Bowl that anyone can come and beat you at any time. This team that came in tonight was a team that could go into first place. So we have to go in believing every game will be a challenge.”

The Aggies, who have won nine straight over conference opponents at Irvin-Corbett Court, has yet to be seriously challenged at home. Monday’s game was the fourth in a four-game homestand.

The Aggies won those four games by an average 26.5 points. Throw in their 19-point win over Morgan State and their 11-point win over Coppin State and the Aggies have outscored their conference opponents at home by an average 22.6 points.

Even though Hampton came in as the conference’s No. 2 team, they faired no better. After the first nine minutes of the game, it didn’t look like a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup. The Aggies jumped out to a 17-2 lead on a Ta’Wuana Cook 3-pointer.

The Pirates did get the lead down to five at 19-14, but an Amber Bland jumper and three helped the Aggies take a nine-point advantage. The Pirates kept fighting as their press and the Aggies press resulted in a combined 69 turnovers. Hampton to within five again at 24-19.

But the Aggies pushed the lead back to 10 and when Bland found Taylor-James open in the corner for a jump shot, the Aggies walked into the locker room with a 35-23.

“I was concerned about this team coming in because Hampton rebounds the ball so well,’’ said Bibbs. “They’re also a mirror image of us because I was there at Hampton for seven seasons. I didn’t know how we would react seeing ourselves in the mirror, but I was proud of the ladies because they came out focused. They knew what was on the line.”

As they’ve done all throughout the homestand, the Aggies opened the second half with a big run. The Aggies outscored the Pirates 11-3 over the first five minutes of the half to take a commanding 20-point lead. Hampton could never muster any momentum as they continually turned the ball over.

Bibbs is now 5-0 against her former team and the Aggie women are one game away from tying the school record for consecutive wins. The Aggies started the conference season 9-0 during the 1990-91 season. The Aggies will have to keep up their winning ways on the road. The Aggies play six of their last nine remaining away from Irvin-Corbett.

“I think we’re going to have maintain our composure and focus on the road,’’ said Taylor-James. “The hardest thing is not to let the fans get you out of her game. But (Florida A&M) is our next big game and that’s the way we have to look at it. We can’t look ahead or look past anyone because everyone is gunning for us.”

The Aggies on the road to face Florida A&M on Saturday at 2 p.m., before traveling to Bethune-Cookman to play the Wildcats on Monday night.