Box Score
GREENSBORO, December 6, 2008 – The North Carolina A&T women’s basketball team just came off of a game where it was very competitive against nationally-ranked Auburn.

Days before that, the Aggies looked impressive in winning East Carolina’s Lady Pirate Invitational. Therefore, a team like Norfolk State who came into Corbett Sports Center Saturday afternoon winless and labeled with being picked to finish last in the MEAC, could not give the Aggies a challenge.

For 20 minutes, the Spartans gave the Aggies a very stiff challenge before the Aggies put together a dominating second half performance to win 90-59 in what was the conference opener for both schools.

Brittanie Taylor-James finished with 22 points and a career-high 13 rebounds Ta’Wuana Cook added 20 points and three assists, while Amber Bland contributed 18 points and five rebounds as the Aggies grabbed a team-record 62 rebounds for the game. All 10 Aggies that played had at least one rebound.

Seven of Danelle Tate’s team-high 13 points came in a first half where the Spartans jogged into the locker room staring at a stunned crowd at Corbett. The Spartans (0-5, 0-1 MEAC), who had lost their last four games to the Aggies by an average 24.0 points, led 29-28 at the half. They held the Aggies to just 23.3 percent shooting to go alongside 18 first-half Aggie turnovers.

“Our girls took them for granted,’’ head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs admitted. “They thought they could go out and not do the things they are supposed to do to win. I’ve always told my teams that regardless of who you are playing, you should never go out and give less than your best. We gave less than our best in that first half.”

The Aggies tried their hardest to make up for not giving their best in the first half as they outscored the Spartans 62-30 in the second half. Tyeisha Bridges kept the shock going early in the second half, however, with a jump shot that gave the Spartans a 31-28 lead. Genor Dalton’s jumper kept the Spartans in the lead at 33-32 three minutes into the second half.

After a Cook free throw tied the game at 33, Lamona Smalley, who did not take a shot on Saturday, made the play that got the Aggies going for the rest of the half. Smalley blocked a jump shot by Marquilla Evans, grabbed the rebound and fired an outlet pass to a sprinting Cook who finished the play off with a layup that led to an 11-2 run that gave the Aggies a 46-35 lead with 14 minutes to play.

The Spartans were able to push the lead back under 10 with two free throws from Tate. But the Aggies just went on another tear. This time the Aggies scored 13 unanswered points to take a 59-37 lead. The Aggies defense became so good; the Spartans went nearly three minutes without even attempting a shot.

“There was no way I expected to go into the locker room down to this team,’’ said Bibbs, who played without three starters in Jaleesa Sams, Reisha Bullock and Nakia DeBlanc. “It was totally embarrassing for us to play like we did. We came out and did a heck of a job in the second half. I was completely satisfied with our effort in the second half.”

The Aggies will not play for another two weeks. Their next game will be in Buies Creek when they take on Campbell University at 1 p.m. N.C. A&T will not return to Corbett for another 42 days when they take on Maryland-Eastern Shore Jan. 17 at 2 p.m.