Lady Aggie Basketball

HAMPTON EASES BY LADY AGGIES

Lady Aggies’ road winning streak ends at three

HAMPTON, Va., February 12, 2005 – It finally caught up to the N.C. A&T women’s basketball team on Saturday.

The Lady Aggies have been without the post presence of Ashleigh Williams and Destiny Burroughs for several weeks. On Monday, they lost starter Malea Gibson to a knee injury bringing the injured reserve count for post players to three.

Their absences were glaring against the athletic and tall Hampton Lady Pirates. Hampton remained atop the MEAC, while knocking the Lady Aggies a step back from their goal of earning a first-round bye in the MEAC tournament with a 75-53 victory.

“We didn’t compete today,” N.C. A&T women’s basketball coach Saudia Roundtree said. “When you’re facing a team like Hampton who has the size advantage they have and you don’t compete, you make things that much harder and you end up with results like this.”

The Lady Pirates out-rebounded N.C. A&T 49-24 and shot 53 percent from the floor. They jumped out to a 26-10 lead thanks to the offensive rebounding of 6-foot-7 Hampton center Tiffani Williams and 6-1 teammate Monica Rogers.

The two low post Lady Pirates combined for 14 of the Lady Pirates 26 points. N.C. A&T would respond with a 9-0 run ignited by a Yanumbe Sherman 3-pointer, steal and layup.

Sharema Dean’s 3-pointer pushed the Lady Pirates lead back to double-figures at 10, a predicament the Lady Aggies never overcame. They trailed by 19 at the half and by as many as 28 in the second half.

“We win a couple of games and we think that’s all there is to it,’’ Roundtree said. “We have to bring it every night. Hopefully, we’re learning this lesson.”

Sherman led the Aggies with 13 points, while Shareka Glover and Kira Tillman added 11 points apiece. Rachel Butler led the Lady Pirates with 14 points and six rebounds, while Williams added 13 points and 11 rebounds. Dean ended the night with 13 points and seven boards.

The Lady Aggies are in action again on Monday night when they face Norfolk State in Norfolk, Va., at 5:30. They don’t return home again until Feb. 26 when they face Florida A&M at 5:30 p.m.