HAMPTON, Va. (Jan. 14, 2024) … Winning its fifth game in its last six outings, North Carolina A&T (9-6, 3-1) downed Hampton (0-13, 0-3), 67-57, at the Hampton Convocation Center before 1,202 fans. Hampton trailed by just one point midway through the final period but the Aggies outscored the Lady Pirates, 15-6, in the final minutes to pull away.
The teams traded baskets to start the contest. Hampton took a three point lead, 13-10, with a five point run spurred by back-to-back baskets by
Le'Asia Foreman. The Aggies battled back to lead 15-13 after the first quarter with A&T's Meleia Bracone scoring nine points in the period. Foreman kept the Lady Pirates close with seven points.
Four points by Hampton's
Camryn Hill at the start of the second quarter closed the gap. But A&T connected on 5-of-7 shots from the field and went on a 12-4 run in the first four minutes of the second quarter to lead 28-17. The Aggies forced 11 turnovers in the first half and outscored Hampton, 19-10, in the second quarter to lead 34-23 at intermission.
Hampton scored the first nine points in the third quarter. A steal and basket by
Aisha Dabo followed by two free throws by Janae Dublin and a basket by
Amyah Reaves, helped Hampton close to 34-32. Following a 7-1 Aggie run, Hampton got baskets from Dublin and
Cheyenne Talbot to cut the deficit to 42-39. The Lady Pirates outscored the Aggies, 18-9, in the third quarter to cut the A&T lead to 43-41 as Hampton forced nine Aggie turnovers.
Two Hill free throws tied the game at 43-43 with 9:45 left in the contest and a basket by Reaves gave the Lady Pirates their first lead since the first quarter, 45-43. After the Aggies retook the lead, Hill hit a deep three-pointer to cut the A&T lead to 52-51 midway through the final period. But the Aggies pulled away in the final minutes.
Foreman scored a career-high 14 points and registered a double-double with 10 rebounds. Dublin and Hill each scored 12 points for the Lady Pirates. A&T's Jordyn Dorsey led all scorers with 18 points. Bracone (16) and Chaniya Clark (12) each scored double-digits for the Aggies.
The Lady Pirates return to action at Towson in a CAA contest on Friday, Jan. 19 at 7:00 p.m.