Aggies shoot 53.3 percent in the second half

Box Score
WASHINGTON, D.C., January 31, 2009 – The Howard and North Carolina A&T women’s basketball games have followed a similar script lately.

A Howard team not expected to give N.C. A&T much of challenge, plays the Aggies tough in the first half before faltering in the second. There were not too many edits to the script Saturday afternoon at Burr Gymnasium. The Bison led at the half, but the Aggies shot 53.3 percent in the second half to earn a 67-49 win.

A year ago the Bison trailed by nine at the half in Greensboro before losing by 35. At the Burr last season, the Bison trailed by just four at the half before losing by 13. On Saturday, the Bison led 27-25 at halftime before the Aggies surge. Amber Bland and Ta’Wuana Cook led the Aggies with 15 points apiece.

“We need to learn how to deliver a knockout blow,’’ said N.C. A&T head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs. “There needs to be the attitude that you want to get out there and take care of business. Howard was ready today. Give them a lot of credit, but we helped them by playing passive.”

The Bison confronted the Aggies with a 2-3 zone in the first half that seemed take the Aggies out of their normal rhythm of getting up and down the floor. N.C. A&T shot a season low 27.8 percent in the first half, mostly on missed jump shots. Instead of trying to speed the game up, the Aggies decided that turnabout is fair play.

The Aggies joined Howard in playing the half-court game to see if the Bison would be able to knock down shots. Howard did not. The Bison hit just two shots in the first eight minutes of the second half. Meanwhile, the Aggies began getting into the paint against the Bison’s zone. Fourteen of the Aggies first 20 points in the second half occurred in the paint.

“When that outside shot is not falling, you have to figure out other things to do with (the ball),’’ said Bibbs. “When we figured out there are more ways to score than just shooting jump shots, we were better off.”

As a result of the Aggies new approach, a Cook layup gave the Aggies a 47-32 lead with 11:58 remaining. The Bison did warm up and were able to cut the lead to single figures on several occasions, the final time coming at the 5:52 mark on a Lonice Kenley jumper. But junior forward Lamona Smalley found a wide open Reisha Bullock for a mid-range jump shot.

Bullock followed that shot by hitting two free throws to put the Aggies in front 57-44. The Aggies went on to hit five of their final six shot attempts to put the Bison (3-16, 2-5 MEAC) away. Zykia Brown led the Bison with 14 points.

The Aggies (14-5, 7-0 MEAC), who have won eight straight overall with six of those wins coming on the road, will be on the road again when they travel to Hampton to play the Hampton Pirates at 6 p.m. Hampton handed the Aggies their only regular-season loss in the conference last season. The game was played at the HU Convocation Center.

“I’m not happy that we bring the best out in people,’’ said Bibbs. “But then again, I’m happy we have established ourselves as the team that brings the best out in people.”