Bland scores 14 and grabs six rebounds    

Box Score
BLACKSBURG, Va., December 29, 2008 – Star Liberty forward Megan Frazee had missed all but two games this year for the Flames. The North Carolina A&T women’s basketball team would have liked to have seen her miss one more on Monday night. Or at least she could have come back when the Aggies shots were falling.

Frazee scored 23 points and had 12 rebounds to lead the Flames to a 72-58 win over the Aggies during the first day of the Hokie Hardwood Classic at Cassell Coliseum. The Aggies (5-4) shot just 32.8 percent from the floor, their lowest output of the season. They were also out-rebounded 51-31.

Amber Bland led the Aggies with 14 points and six rebounds. Ta’Wuana Cook added 13 points and five boards. It was the Flames (4-7) second straight win over the Aggies in as many years.

“It was a combination of things tonight that hurt us,’’ said N.C. A&T women’s basketball coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs. “It is hard to pinpoint one thing. But when they get the ball 51 times off missed shots, it’s hard to win. We practice every day putting a body on people, but for some reason we didn’t do it tonight. You have to be physical against a team like this.”

The Aggies lost some of their physicality with the score tied at 41 with 11:38 remaining in the game. N.C. A&T’s leading rebounder Lamona Smalley was whistled for a loose ball foul. She then inadvertently bumped a Liberty player after reacting to the call. A technical foul was called bringing Smalley’s foul total to five. Smalley spent the rest of the game sidelined.

“When you lose a rebounder like Lamona Smalley for the last 11 minutes of the game, it never helps,’’ said Bibbs. “They had some injuries this year, but they came back against us at full strength. We needed all the bodies we could get against them.”

Frazee hit four straight free throws after Smalley’s disqualification to give the Flames a 48-44 lead. Two Brittanie Taylor-James free throws and a Ta’Wuana Cook layup on an excellent outlet pass by Jaleesa Sams tied the game at 48 with 10 minutes remaining.

Frazee then began to assert herself. She hit an open 3-pointer from the corner to spark a 10-0 Flames run that gave them a 58-48 lead. Frazee scored six of the Flames 10 points during the run. Aggies guard Reisha Bullock ended the run with a runner in the paint to cut the Flames lead to 58-50 with 4:47 to play.

After the two teams exchanged field goals, Frazee benefited from one of Liberty’s 21 offensive rebounds to set up in the corner for the second of her two-3-point attempts. Like her first three, she connected, giving the Flames a 63-52 lead with 3:51 remaining.

“What else can you say about her?” said Bibbs, who saw Frazee score 16 points and grab 10 rebounds in Corbett Sports Center last season. “She is a great player. But I know we have some great players on our team as well. They have to realize it and start playing like it.”

The Aggies will play in the consolation game of the Hokie Harwood Classic Tuesday evening at 5 against the Lafayette Leopards at Cassell Coliseum.