Courtesy of NC A&T Athletics
GREENSBORO – The result wasn’t what the North Carolina A&T women’s basketball team wanted. But the atmosphere, the level of competition, and the team’s energy level all measured up well for the Aggies. No. 14 ranked North Carolina ended up with a 66-47 victory Tuesday night at Corbett Sports Center. Coach Tarrell Robinson’s message to the team was encouraging.
“I told them that this was a great test because if we want to be where we say we want to be in March, this is what you want to see,” he said.
There were plenty of Aggies fans who wanted to see this, too. A crowd of 3,593 looked on.
“A great crowd,” Tar Heels coach Courtney Banghart said. “A&T did a lot of work, what a great environment. It made it really hard to communicate.”
North Carolina (3-0) was the first Atlantic Coast Conference visitor in 15 years.
“We were definitely excited and grateful that Courtney was willing to come to our gym and give us the type of environment that you want to play in,” Robinson said. “Aggie Nation really showed up. … We competed. We were up to the challenge. It just didn’t work out.”
For most of the game, the Aggies were up to the task. They were as close as 37-29 with five minutes left in the third quarter. But so much of the good defensive work from A&T (0-3) wasn’t rewarded at the other end. The Aggies shot 34 percent from the field.
“We got to get better offensively,” Robinson said. “We got a lot of young kids, a lot of transfers who are still trying to figure out our system.”
North Carolina A&T went 2-for-10 on 3-pointers, while the Tar Heels made 10 shots from beyond the arc.
“Do I want to take more than 10 3s?” Robinson said. “I absolutely want to make more than two. It goes back to what they did, what they allowed us to do.”
The Aggies weren’t at full strength, but there were signs of better times ahead. Center Chaniya Clark played for the first time this season. Clark picked up two fouls and was limited to seven minutes of first-half playing time and ended up with five points in the game. She played less than 20 minutes, but that was progress.
Clark was on the court without yet participating in two full practices. She’ll need time to get back in a groove and build conditioning.
“She does so much for us,” Robinson said. “She’s a leader.”
Aggies guard Maleia Bracone missed her second straight game. When she missed the contest against Rice, it ended a streak of 65 consecutive games played for the graduate student.
A&T guard Jordyn Dorsey, who averaged 24.5 points when the team fell at SMU and Rice last week, drew the attention of North Carolina’s defense. She was held to 12 points. Robinson said he needed to give Dorsey some breaks. Paris Locke’s 15 points and eight rebounds paced the Aggies.
The score was tied with less than six minutes to play in the second quarter before the Tar Heels poured in the next eight points. North Carolina managed 16 points in the first 14 minutes, then racked up 17 in the next four minutes. The Tar Heels led 35-21 at halftime. By halftime, the Aggies had committed 14 turnovers. They ended up with 21 giveaways.
“Twenty-one turnovers, which was uncharacteristic,” Robinson said. “We’re still a work in progress. Still trying to get healthy.”
The Aggies and their fans will dwell on the atmosphere and the fact that they put on a good show. There’s time to work out the kinks for the Coastal Athletic Association’s women’s basketball preseason favorite.
“I’ve never given so many tickets,” Robinson said. “We had nothing to lose. I told them that. Let’s play fearless basketball.”
Aggie women’s basketball will go to Mercer on Sunday and then have home games against Winston-Salem State (Nov. 21) and North Carolina Central (Nov. 25). So, this test against the Tar Heels could pay off later.
“I think we’re competing,” Robinson said. “We want to play the best because that’s who we want to be playing in March.”