Jan. 2, 2010

Final Stats

DURHAM, N.C. - The North Carolina Central University women's basketball team (2-11) put on another dominating performance against rival North Carolina A&T State University (6-6), but a second half rally by the Aggies allowed them to slip past the Lady Eagles, 78-74, Saturday night in McDougald-McLendon Gym.

Three Lady Eagles notched double-figures in scoring to lead the NCCU offense with freshman Joanna Miller leading the way, tying her season-high 25 points. Blaire Houston put on another outstanding performance, setting a new season-high with 15 points, while senior Latoya Bennett added 13 points.

NCCU dished 22 assists, the most for the Lady Eagles this season, with most of those assists coming from the hands of Danielle DeBerry, who tied her career-high seven assists. Even with the pressure defense of North Carolina A&T, the Lady Eagles managed to protect the basketball with only 17 turnovers, their least this season.

With a height disadvantage, the Lady Eagles were able to battle on the boards with the Aggies, out-rebounding them, 37-35. NCCU's rebounding game was anchored by freshman J'Mia Pollock, who was unstoppable on the glass, grabbing a season-high 14 rebounds, while Miller added six.

Defensively, the Lady Eagles held the Aggies way under their shooting average, keeping them just under 40 percent on the game, while NCCU shot 50 percent from the field. The Lady Eagles struggled from behind the arc, but stayed consistent at the charity stripe, shooting 71.4 percent, about three percent higher than their average.

North Carolina A&T controlled the tip, but the game remained a battle for the whole first half. The first half saw five tied scores and two lead changes. Four tie scores and both lead changes happened within the first six minutes of play with the Aggies finally taking control of the lead at the 13:24 mark.

Even with the Aggies on top, the Lady Eagles refused to let them pull ahead too much, keeping them within seven points, the largest lead of the half. North Carolina A&T took a seven-point lead at the 9:05 mark, but the Lady Eagles scored six-straight points to get within one at the 6:53 mark and eventually tied the game at 24-24 with 4:29 left in the half. North Carolina A&T pulled away by seven with 1:29 on the clock until a layup by Miller and a jumper by Pollock would put the Lady Eagles within three going into the break.

NCCU's largest lead was at the 16:35 mark in the first half, where they led by three.

The Lady Eagles came out of the break charged up and ready for battle as they cut the deficit to one. The Aggies refused to back down, fighting to stay in control of the game. NCCU stayed within striking distance, allowing the Aggies to keep only a six-point lead for the first 5:30 of the half.

Eventually, the momentum swung in the Aggies direction at the 14:32 mark. North Carolina A&T went on a 10-2 run to earn their largest lead of the game at the 11:39 mark, where they claimed a 13-point advantage. NCCU fought back to cut the deficit to seven, but as soon as they got within reach, the Aggies would battle back.

North Carolina A&T went on a 6-0 run to claim another 13-point lead at the 6:17 mark, but that was as big of a lead as NCCU would allow as they crawled back in the ballgame. The Lady Eagles went on a 13-5 run to get within five at the 2:54 mark. As the Aggies tried to extend their lead, the Lady Eagles halted them in the middle, allowing them to go up by eight before they cut the deficit back down.

A 5-0 run with 44 seconds on the clock, put the Lady Eagles within a 3-point shot of a tie and four points of the lead. NCCU had nothing else to do but to foul. Within those 44 seconds, NCCU managed to get within two points twice, but the excellent free throw shooting of the Aggies kept them in the game as they put the final nail in the coffin at the 00:08 mark when Amber Calvin hit back-to-back foul shots to give the Aggies a 78-74 win.

The Aggies went 23-for-27 from the charity stripe, shooting an impressive 85.2 percent from the line.

North Carolina A&T, a great 3-point shooting team, showed their skills from behind the arc, shooting 35 percent from long range. The Aggies' long range game was anchored by Ta'Wauana Cook, who scored 12 of her 23 points from behind the arc. Cook was one of four Aggies to score in double-digits.

Amber Calvin added 14 points, followed by Jaleesa Sams with 12 and Jaquayla Berry with 11. Lamona Smalley led in rebounds with eight, followed by Berry with six. The Aggies' bench outscored the Lady Eagles' bench, 27-24. North Carolina A&T capitalized on Lady Eagle turnovers, scoring 23 points off of 17 turnovers.

NCCU falls to 2-11 on the season and 7-20 against the Aggies, while North Carolina A&T improves to .500 on the season with a 6-6 record. The Aggies broke their four-game losing skid to the Lady Eagles.

The Lady Eagles will return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 5 when they face the Lady Rams of Winston-Salem State University. NCCU and WSSU have one of the most dominant histories, having met 61 times. The Rams have a slight advantage in the series, claiming a 31-30 record. The Lady Eagles look to even the series on Tuesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

For more information on Lady Eagle basketball, visit the official website of NCCU Athletics at www.NCCUEaglePride.com.