NORFOLK, Va., March 8, 2017–Aliyah Kilpatrick scored 15 points and added five steals to lead three in double figures on Wednesday as seventh-seeded North Carolina A&T State upset the second-seeded Howard Bison 68-58 in the 2017 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) women’s quarterfinals on Wednesday at the Norfolk Scope.
North Carolina A&T (14-17) advances to a 2 p.m. Friday semifinal, when it’ll face the winner of Thursday’s noon quarterfinal between third-seeded Hampton and 11th-seeded Maryland Eastern Shore.
After a close first quarter, a 7-2 flurry to start the second put Howard up 22-15 on a Te’Shya Heslip 3-pointer with 7:12 left. The Aggies chipped back into the game and tied the game on a pair of Kala Green free throws with 1:57 left at 28-all. That was a part of a 16-4 run that put the Aggies up 33-28 on a layup from Alexus Lessears with 24 seconds left in the half. A late 3-pointer from Howard’s Ayonna Williams brought the Bison to 33-31 at the half.
The Aggies took a six-point lead in the third on two occasions, the last being on a Whitney Martin jumper with 3:58 left to lead 43-37. Howard scored eight of the next 10 points over a three-minute span to tie the game at 45-all on a 3-pointer from Star Fitzgerald-Greer with 50 seconds left. Dana Brown beat the third quarter horn with a 3-pointer to put the Aggies back up 48-43.
Howard took a 52-49 lead early in the fourth on a pair of Heslip free throws with 7:24 left. The Aggies clamped down on defense and went on a 12-1 run over the next four minutes to lead 61-53 on a Lessears layup with 3:24 left.
The Bison had one last run cutting that deficit in half as a 3-point play from Jasmine Hill with 58 seconds left brought them to within four points at 62-58, but that closed the scoring for Howard.
Brown and Kala Green joined Kilpatrick in double figures scoring 14 points apiece for the Aggies. Lessears topped the team on the boards with a game-high 13. Heslip was the leading scorer in the game for Howard with 25 points and four steals.
For more information on the 2017 MEAC Basketball Tournament, visit the official website www.meachoops.com.