Box Score
Bullock scores 15 in first start for Aggies

ROCK HILL, S.C., November 16, 2008 – The second half has not been good to the North Carolina A&T women’s basketball over its first two games. A day after the Ole Miss Rebels outscored the Aggies by 23 in the second half; Winthrop used a late surge in the second half to defeat the Aggies 62-60 in consolation game of the Winthrop Basketball Tournament at the Winthrop Coliseum.

Senior Brittanie Taylor-James led the Aggies with 16 points and nine rebounds. Junior college transfer Reisha Bullock, who made her first career start for the Aggies, had 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Amber Bland chipped in with 12 points and nine boards.  

“You have to play until the end,’’ said head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs. “I thought our ladies fought throughout the tournament to win, but you have to reward yourself by closing it out. We will be fine. We have a full week of practice ahead of us, so we have to iron out the kinks.”

The Aggies did play without three of their key players in top assists person Ta’Wuana Cook, top rebounder Lamona Smalley and post player Brittane Neely in what was a coach’s decision.

Despite the absences, the Aggies took a 12-point lead into the locker room. N.C. A&T held its double-figure lead until the 12-minute mark of the second half. The Eagles’ Tiffany Rodd cut that lead to seven with one of her five 3-pointers on the afternoon.

Freshman Tierra Thomas answered with a baseline jumper to put the Aggies ahead 48-39. But the Eagles would put together a 16-2 run led largely by Rodd and Ashley Fann. The two combined to score 11 of the 16 points during the run, and Fann even had three rebounds during the rally. The Eagles 56-50 lead was quickly cut to three on a Bland 3-pointer. A minute later Bland knocked down another three to tie the game at 56 with 1:30 remaining.

After an Eagles free throw, Bullock put the Aggies ahead 58-57 with 49 seconds to play. Winthrop would the ball into the hands of Fann. She drove and scored with 25 seconds remaining to help the Eagles recapture the lead at 59-58.

When Taylor-James misfired on a jumper, the Aggies scramble to collect the offensive rebound went out-of-bounds to the Eagles. Two Rodd free throws gave the Eagles a three-point advantage with nine seconds to play. Bullock trimmed that lead to one by netting a jumper with four seconds remaining to make it 61-60. Ashley Haugtvedt’s one free throw would be enough for the Eagles victory.

Fann led the Eagles with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Rodd finished with 19 points and six boards. The Aggies will return to action on Friday, November 21 when they take on Elon from the Corbett Sports Center at 7 p.m.