GREENSBORO, N.C.?Chioma Okoli had a team-high 15 points but UNC Asheville committed a season-high 34 turnovers as it fell 88-62 to North Carolina A&T in the first round of the UNCG Thanksgiving Tournament on Friday.
The Bulldogs (3-2) shot just 34 percent in the second half as North Carolina A&T (3-1) used an 11-1 run to start the half to put the game out of reach. Asheville will face UNC Greensboro (0-4) in the consolation game at 1 p.m. on Saturday while A&T will face Boston University (4-1) in the championship game at 3 p.m.
With 8:11 left in the first half, Kendall Shepard scored two of her five points to pull Asheville to within 21-20. The Bulldogs went the next 4:25 without a scoring as A&T went on a 15-0 run to take control of the game. The lead remained at 15 points at halftime with A&T leading 46-31.
The run to begin the second half ended any Asheville hopes of a comeback as the Aggies grew the lead to as many as 32 with 6:01 left in the game. A&T shot 56 percent from the floor in the game and went 7-for-10 from three point range.
Ta'Wuana Cook had a game-high 16 points to lead five Aggies in double figures. Jalessa Sams, Lamona Smalley, Amber Bland, and Brittany Taylor-James all had 13 points a piece.
Asheville's Ana Baker had 12 points, three assists, and five steals for the Bulldogs. Jessica Monroe had nine points and Stacy Shepard added six points and a team-high six rebounds.
A&T head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs won her 400th career game. The Asheville/Greensboro game on Saturday can be heard live online at uncabulldogs.com with the pre-game show beginning at 12:45 p.m.
