North Carolina A&T Finishes Season in WNIT Super 16
Hunter Peters
GREENSBORO, N.C. (March 29, 2024) – North Carolina A&T ran into a red-hot Troy team, falling in the Super 16 of the WNIT, 89-75, at Corbett Sports Center on Friday night.
The Trojans (21-11) advance to face conference rival Louisiana Monroe in the Great Eight of the WNIT. The Aggies finish 22-12 this year after the setback. It marks the most wins for A&T since the 2017-18 season, and the Aggies earned their first postseason win since 2010, advancing to the Super 16 of the WNIT for the second time in program history.
Troy shot 49.3 percent (34-69) from the floor and 46.7 percent (7-15) from three as four Trojans reached double figures in the contest. Makayia Hallmon scored a game-high 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Tai’Sheka Porchia (15) and Ja’Mia Hollings (14) surpassed double figures and led the effort on the glass with eight rebounds each. Leilani Augmon added 13 points off the bench to round out the Trojans with at least 10 points.
A&T also had four with double figures, including double-doubles from Chaniya Clark and Paris Locke, but it wasn’t enough on Friday. Clark had 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting with 10 rebounds for her eighth double-double this season. Locke contributed 12 points and 11 boards off the bench, recording her first career double-double. Additionally, Jordyn Dorsey paced the Aggies with 18 points, and Maleia Bracone finished with 10.
Troy was feeling it in the first half, shooting 47.2 percent (17-36) from the floor and was unconscious from three-point range, going 7-of-10 from beyond the arc. A&T took its first lead in the game, 14-11, at the 2:33 mark in the first with five straight points; however, the Trojans responded with an 11-0 run, taking a 23-16 lead and momentum into the second. Troy used an 8-0 run to push its lead to 41-26 with 3:52 remaining in the frame. The Aggies ended the half strong, scoring eight points in the final 71 seconds, and Dorsey cut the deficit to single digits, 48-39, with a layup at the buzzer.
Despite not making a three-pointer after halftime, the Trojans would not cool down in the second half. Troy shot 51.5 percent (17-33) from the floor after the break, scoring 24 of its 34 points in the paint. After shooting 10-of-16 in the third, Troy pushed its lead back to double-digits (69-59) at the end of the third. The Aggies cut the deficit to five, 72-67, with 6:03 remaining, but the Trojans responded with a 6-0 spurt, and it was as close as A&T would get the rest of the way.
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