Towson Women’s Basketball upsets No. 2 NC A&T to move into third place in CAA
By: Courtney Ott, Deputy Sports Editor and Daniel Skrobala, Contributing Writer
The Towson Women’s Basketball team was able to maintain their lead against NC A&T in a game they led for nearly its duration to win 68-57. Forward Quinzia Fulmore scored a career high 16 points, a statement performance during a game played largely in the trenches.
To start the game, the Aggies were able to hold Towson scoreless through the first 2:38 and led 6-0 before the Tigers called their first timeout at the 7:22 mark. At 6:01, center Taiye Johnson put up the first two for Towson with a putback layup under the basket.
“I think we played through adversity,” said guard Patricia Anumgba. “We weren’t really hitting our shots early and had a couple turnovers, they started to press us and we couldn’t really run our offense. We knew they were a good team so it’s a great feeling to get that dub because we only have one game with them.”
Down 8-4, Johnson went to the line to complete a 3-point play after she drew a foul on forward Levossie Taylor. With 2:31 left, guard Kylie Kornegay-Lucas secured a defensive rebound and passed the ball down the court to Fulmore for another two, putting Towson down 12-9.
The game was tied at 14 with 58 seconds left in the opening quarter when Kornegay-Lucas drew a foul on the Aggies, and gave Towson another two points from the free throw line. A free throw by center Jazmin Harris broke a 2:02 scoring drought for NC A&T and gave the Aggies a one-point lead.
Guard Alexia Nelson drilled a 3-pointer just before the clock hit zero to give the Tigers a 17-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. Kornegay-Lucas led scorers with five points, also contributing three rebounds and three assists.
At the 6:26 mark in the second quarter, Anumgba made a three that was followed by another three from guard Anissa Rivera just before the media timeout. By halftime, the Aggies were able to cut Towson’s lead down to five points after the Tigers had no points in the last 3:49 of the second quarter. NC A&T went through a scoring drought of their own during the last 2:33, going 0/4 on their field goal attempts.
Nelson kicked off the scoring for Towson in the second half, knocking down a 3-point shot to extend the lead to 34-26. At the 2:04 mark, Kornegay-Lucas went for a layup that went off the glass, but Fulmore put it back up for two that extended Towson’s lead to 48-35. The Tigers ended the third quarter up 49-37 with the help of two free throws from guard Skye Williams.
NC A&T guard Jordyn Dorsey and Towson’s Fulmore remained the leading scorers for each team through three quarters, this time with 11 and 12 points respectively. Dorsey’s four assists at the end of the third were the most on NC A&T.
NC A&T started the fourth quarter off as Dorsey made two straight 3-point shots to cut the lead to eight at the media timeout. She would stay hot after the stoppage with a reverse layup to cut down Towson’s lead to six points, but Kornegay-Lucas drew a foul by Dorsey and downed both shots.
With 3:56 remaining, Anumgba made a 3-pointer to extend Towson’s lead to 59-51. A converted 3-point play by Aggie guard Nyah Willis made it 59-54 before guard D’Mya Tucker filled in a free throw of her own to give the Aggies 55, but this was the closest they would get for the remainder of the contest.
“I think our team has to continue to grow and mature and be disciplined, specifically with taking care of the ball,” Towson Head Coach Laura Harper said. “We turn the ball over on a very timely occasion in the game and they lead directly into points for the other team.. it’s confidence and trust that we’ve been in these positions and we have been able to be successful.”
At the 1:21 mark, Fulmore was able to log two from a layup to put the Tigers up 61-57. Rivera followed with a 3-pointer and one foul shot from Nelson which led to a timeout called by NC A&T. The lead would hold, as Towson won 68-57.
Kornegay-Lucas was a field goal and rebound away from a double-double, ending up with eight points and nine rebounds before fouling out. The Tigers finished at 81% from the free throw line and 36% in field goals. Towson led the rebound battle with 39 as NC A&T stood at 36.
Towson’s next game will be on the road against the University of Charleston, taking place on Feb. 26 at 2 p.m.
