A&T Keeps Postseason Run Alive with Last-Second Victory, Charleston & Stony Brook Close Out Season
Hunter Peters
RICHMOND, Va. (March 24, 2024) – North Carolina A&T kept its postseason run alive with a game-winning three-pointer from Maleia Bracone as the Aggies advanced to the Super 16 of the WNIT on Sunday night.
In addition, Charleston and Stony Brook saw their seasons end with setbacks in the second round of the WNIT and WBIT, respectively.
North Carolina A&T 48, Old Dominion 45 | Box Score
Bracone hit the game-winning three-pointer from the left wing with 0.9 seconds remaining to lift North Carolina A&T to a 48-45 victory over Old Dominion in the second round of the WNIT at Corbett Sports Center on Sunday night.
The Aggies (22-11) advance to the Super 16 of the WNIT, where they will face the winner of FIU and Troy. Old Dominion finishes the year 22-10 after the setback.
Bracone scored 11 of her game-high 17 points in the second half, with her lone three-point make propelling A&T to victory. D’Mya Tucker joined her in double figures with 10 points and added eight rebounds in the effort. Old Dominion was paced by Kaye Clark with 16 points and eight boards.
A&T led 36-32 entering the fourth, but the Monarchs scored the first five points to take a one-point lead. The teams traded free throws before a fastbreak layup gave ODU a 41-38 advantage. The Aggies tied the game at 41 with their first three of the game, knocked down by Talia Davis, before taking a 45-43 lead after consecutive layups from Bracone. Clark pulled the Monarch even at 45 with 3:01 remaining, and it was the final field goal before Bracone’s game-winner, as she tallied the final seven points for the Aggies.
The back-and-forth affair featured 10 ties and 12 lead changes in total.
Illinois State 74, Charleston 67 | Box Score
Charleston erased a once 13-point deficit to tie the game in the fourth quarter but could not complete the comeback, falling to Illinois State 74-67 on Sunday afternoon in Normal, Ill. at CEFCU Arena in the second round of the WNIT.
The Redbirds (22-11) advance to the Super 16 of the WNIT, where they will face the winner of Wisconsin and Southern Indiana. Charleston ends the season 22-10, recording its first postseason victory since 2014 and most wins since 2008-09.
Five reached double figures for Illinois State, led by Deja Wilson with 17 points, including five in the final 93 seconds, adding eight rebounds. Caroline Waite provided a lift off the bench with 14 points, going 4-of-5 from behind the arc, while Shannon Dowell (13), Maya Wong (11) and Daijah Smith (10) rounded out the Redbirds in double figures.
Jenna Annecchiarico poured in a game-high 26 points to lead the Cougars, with Jada Logan adding 16 points and nine rebounds.
Despite what felt like a dominant first half for Illinois State, Charleston trailed just 34-28 at the break. The Redbirds shot 53.8 percent (14-26) from the floor and outscored the Cougars 24-6 inside the paint over the opening 20 minutes. Illinois State gained its largest lead at 28-15, but back-to-back threes from Logan cut the deficit to single digits, and consecutive baskets to end the half pulled CofC within six. Charleston battled all the way back to tie the game at 60, with 4:02 remaining, following an 8-0 run in the fourth quarter; however, Illinois State responded with five straight points and went 5-of-6 at the free throw line in the final minute to secure the victory.
Charleston forced Illinois State into 21 miscues, but the Cougars scored just 12 points off turnovers compared to the Redbirds’ 16 points off 14 CofC turnovers. In addition, Illinois State shot 49.0 percent (24-49) from the floor and held the Cougars to 32.1 percent (25-78) shooting.
Illinois 79, Stony Brook 62 | Box Score
Four Seawolves scored in double figures, but it wasn’t enough Sunday afternoon at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill., as Stony Brook saw a historic season end, falling to Illinois 79-62 in the second round of the WBIT.
Illinois (16-15) advanced to the Quarterfinals of the inaugural WBIT, where they will face Tulsa on Thursday, March 28. Stony Brook finishes the year 28-5 after winning its first-ever CAA Regular Season title and matching a program record for single-season victories.
Adalia McKenzie poured in a career-high 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting to pace the Fighting Illini. In addition, Illinois got double-doubles from Kendall Bostic and Makira Cook. Bostic added 19 points, shooting 9-of-11 from the floor, with a game-high 17 rebounds. Cook added 14 points and 10 assists in the victory.
Gigi Gonzalez had a team-high 13 points, adding five assists for the Seawolves, while Khari Clark and Shamarla King contributed 12 points each and Sherese Pittman had 10. King also grabbed a team-best eight rebounds in the effort.
Illinois shot the lights out in the first quarter, going 11-of-18 from the floor to open a 27-16 lead and led wire-to-wire. Stony Brook kept pace early, as a three-pointer from Clark pulled Stony Brook within 15-13 at the first-quarter media timeout; however, the Seawolves finished the quarter 1-of-7 from the field, while the Fighting Illini went on a 10-0 run and never looked back. The Fighting Illini maintained a double-digit margin the rest of the way, pushing its lead to as many as 25, and 13 points was as close as Stony Brook got over the final 29 minutes.
Illinois shot 50.8 percent (30-59) in the contest, outscoring Stony Brook 40-28 in the paint, and held the Seawolves to 31.9 percent (22(69) shooting. In addition, the Fighting Illini maintained a 49-30 advantage on the glass.
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