BIBBS FALLS SHORT IN DEBUTTillman ties her career high by scoring 23
Men's Basketball Story Women's Box Score
ELON, N.C., November 18, 2005 -- In her 21-year coaching career, Patricia Cage-Bibbs built her reputation on having her teams play solid defensively. But a veteran like Bibbs understands that reputation is only as good as her latest game.
In her debut as the head coach of the N.C. A&T women’s basketball team, Bibbs saw Elon shoot 50.9 percent from the floor in a 75-70 win over the Aggies at Alumni Gym.
"The
ladies are trying to adjust to my system and they are doing fine," said
Bibbs. "All we have to do is come out with the same intensity we had in the
second half. We are going to keep working and I know we will win games."
The
Phoenix led 62-51 with under five minutes remaining in the game. The Aggies
made their final push of the night. Senior Kira Tillman, who finished with a
game-high 23 points, and freshman Ryann King each hit a pair of free throws,
while Bianca Johnson added a 3-point play to trim the deficit to 64-58 at
the 3:37 mark.
Phoenix
forward Kitara McMoore answered with a layup and teammate Mrya Donkin hit
the Phoenix’s eighth and final 3-pointer of the night to give the Phoenix a
69-58 lead with 2:45 to play.
Tillman
added seven rebounds to her totals, while preseason All-MEAC first-team
selection Shareka Glover finished with 14 points, seven assists and zero
turnovers. In her debut as an Aggie, Hampton transfer Bianca Johnson added
16 points and junior center Melea Gibson grabbed a career-high 16 boards.
McMoore led the Phoenix (1-0) with 18 and nine rebounds, while Robyn Shipley added 17 on 5-for-10 shooting from 3-point range.
Elon made
28-of-55 attempts from the field, including 4-for-5 from 3-point range in
the second half and 8-for-14 for the game.
The
Aggies turned 20 Phoenix turnovers into 24 points and scored 26
second-chance points, showing Bibbs signs of improvement
"We dug
ourselves in a little bit of a hole in the first half," said Bibbs. "But the
kids never gave up, and I was happy to see that. Kira did an outstanding
job, and I think she played with a lot of confidence tonight."
The two
teams played a hotly contested first half until the Phoenix went on a 9-0
spurt in the final 2:07, keyed by consecutive lay-ups from Nikko King.
Shipley added a 3-pointer with 39 seconds remaining to give Elon a 32-23
lead at intermission. McMoore scored 10 first-half points on lay-ups, while
Shipley hit three treys for nine points. The Aggies stayed close despite
shooting just 8-for-34 (23.5 percent) from the floor in the half.
N.C.
A&T plays again 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 22 when it travels to Annapolis