CORAL GABLES, Fla. — A big fourth-quarter run returned the North Carolina A&T Aggies women’s basketball to the winner’s circle Sunday afternoon with a 64-59 win over the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff (UAPB) Golden Lions during the final day of the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament hosted by the University of Miami at The Westco Center.
A&T has won four of five to improve to 4-2. UAPB dropped to 1-4. UAPB led 56-52 with 4:07 remaining, but Laila Acox started an Aggies run that would win the game by following her miss to cut UAPB’s lead to two. Nyah Willis tied the game at 56 on a pull-up jumper off a turnover with 2:30 to play.
A minute later, junior guard Maleia Bracone hit two free throws to put the Aggies ahead. Acox ended the run she started with a jumper set up by her steal before she scored on a layup from a Bracone assist to complete the 10-0 run, giving the Aggies a 62-56 lead with 57 seconds remaining.
Golden Lions guard Jelissa Reese responded with a 3-pointer seconds later to cut A&T’s lead to three. But sophomore Jordyn Dorseymade two free throws with 24 seconds remaining. UAPB traveled on their next possession to ice the game for A&T.
Willis led the Aggies with a game-high 15 points, shooting 5-for-8 from the field, with five rebounds and four assists. Bracone added 10 points and a game-high six assists. Acox scored six of her eight points in the last three minutes of the fourth quarter and secured seven rebounds and two steals on 4-for-6 shooting for the game. Jazmin Harris finished with nine points and 10 rebounds.
Both teams struggled in the first half as UAPB shot 31.3 percent from the floor, including 20 percent in the first quarter. A&T meanwhile shot 33.3 percent and 27.8 percent in the first. But A&T ended the first quarter on an 8-0 run fueled by five points from Willis to take a 15-8 lead.
The Aggies maintained a lead throughout the second quarter and entered the locker room at halftime with a 28-24 lead. UAPB did tie the game at 28 by scoring the first four points of the second half. But Jazmin Harris helped A&T strike back with back-to-back buckets as A&T kept the lead throughout the remainder of the third quarter.
They entered the final quarter with a 44-41 lead. An Acox steal and layup pushed A&T’s lead to five at 50-45 with 7:14 remaining. But a 9-0 UAPB run gave the Golden Lions their first lead since the 3:03 mark of the first quarter.
Aggies redshirt freshman Chaniya Clark cut the Golden Lions lead to two, 54-52, with 4:35 remaining. However, Maori Davenport responded with a bucket in the paint to put UAPB up four before the Aggies could put together their game-winning run.
Reese and Davenport led Arkansas-Pine Bluff with 13 points apiece, with Davenport adding a game-high 11 rebounds.