Dover, Del. (Jan. 24) --- The Delaware State Lady Hornets fall to the North Carolina A&T Aggies, 86-59 on Sunday afternoon at Memorial Hall. DSU falls to 2-7 on the season.
The Lady Hornets take a 5-2 lead early on, after a three-pointer from the top of the key by DSU forward Melissa Sam. The Aggies briefly take an 8-7 lead, but Lady Hornets guard Naomi Shorts scores a layup in transition, despite the foul. The sophomore guard makes the ensuing free throw, giving DSU a 10-8 lead with 4:18 left in the first quarter. Delaware State guard Lyric Turner kicks the ball to teammate DeMaurea Moore for the jumper. The made basket gives DSU a 16-15 lead heading into the second quarter.
The lead continues the change hands, DSU guard Daije Harris scores a layup, to retake a 20-19 lead with 7:44 left in the half. With 5:26 left, Harris hits two free throws, for a 25-23 lead. However, the Aggies respond with a 12-4 run, taking a 35-29 lead into halftime.
The Aggies run continue and they take a 43-31 lead, with 8:12 left in the third. The Lady Hornets respond with a run of their own. Moore starts the run by hitting both of her free throws. On the next possession, Lady Hornets' forward Melissa Sam hits a pull up jumper. The next time down the floor, Sam spins past a defender for a layup cutting the deficit to seven. After a basket from the Aggies, Turner responds with a three-pointer. DSU's Naomi Shorts steals the inbound pass and swings the ball to Harris who gets fouled and makes two free-throws, cutting the deficit to four. After a basket from NC A&T, DSU forward Kiana Coomber dishes the ball to Daije Harris for three. Her triple cuts the deficit to just three points, with the score at 48-45 with 4:18 left in the third quarter. Harris finishes the game with a career high 21 points.
That is as close as the Lady Hornets will get. The Aggies close the quarter on a 9-0 run. They also out score DSU 27-12 in the fourth quarter. DSU trailed by as many as 33 points.
DSU shot just 18-of-63 (28.6%) from the field including just 4-of-20 (20.0%) on their three-point attempts. The Lady Hornets shot a season best 19-of-22 (86.4%) from the free throw line.
Keys to the game
1. NC A&T outscore DSU 48-22 in points in the paint
2. The Aggies outrebound the Lady Hornets 48-36.
Up next
Delaware State will travel to Washington, D.C. for a two-game series against Howard University, starting Jan 30th. Tip-off time still to be determined.
