Women's Basketball 1/15/2008 5:00:00 AM MEAC Media Relations

North Carolina A&T Lady Aggies Knocks Off Coppin State, 61-50

North Carolina A&T defeated two-time defending regular-season champion Coppin State 61-50 in a MEAC matchup on Saturday afternoon.

The win marked the first victory for the Lady Lady Aggies over the Lady Lady Eagles in four seasons. The Lady Lady Aggies are tied for first with Bibbs’ former team Hampton at 3-0, and in the process of knocking off the Lady Lady Eagles, North Carolina A&T held two-time MEAC Player of the Year Rashida Suber to 3-for-17 shooting and nine points.

The Lady Aggies defeated the Lady Eagles despite getting zero points from leading-scorer Amber Bland. She didn’t score in the second half thanks in part to being in foul trouble. Bland did lead the Lady Aggies with 19 points. Ta’Wuana Cook added 12 points and four assists and Brittanie Taylor-James came off the bench to score 11 points and grab eight rebounds. Sophomore Lamona Smalley had another outstanding all-around game with nine points, nine rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals.

The Lady Eagles were picked to win the MEAC this season thanks to having a first-team All-MEAC backcourt returning in Suber and Shalamar Oakley. But the Lady Aggies pressured the duo all night, forcing them into a combined 13 turnovers.

The Lady Aggies put several different players on Suber, forcing her to put the ball on the floor more than she has in the past against the Lady Aggies. The Lady Aggies ?D’ also forced her into taking some tough shots.

Despite Suber’s offensive woes, the Lady Eagles still led 36-32 at the 15-minute mark of the second half. But the Lady Eagles began to turn the ball over and led to the Lady Aggies getting into their transition game led by Cook who scored all 12 of her points in the second half. Cook’s sprint up the court and lay-in capped off an 11-0 run to give the Lady Aggies a 43-36 lead with 9:28 remaining.

The Lady Eagles were able to get within three at 43-40, but the Lady Eagles would hit just two field goals over the last seven minutes of the game. The Lady Aggies increased their lead to 12 when Cook found Smalley all alone underneath the basket for an easy layup with two minutes remaining.

The Lady Aggies go on the road to face Maryland-Eastern Shore Saturday at 2 p.m., from Princess Anne, Md.