GREENSBORO, N.C. - UNCG women's basketball (1-5, 0-0) claims this year's 'Battle of the 'Boro' with a 49-46 win over visiting North Carolina A&T (0-1, 0-0) on Monday night. The Spartans were led by a pair of senior guards, with CeCe Crudup and Tori Powell delivering 16 and 12 points apiece. Crudup came within two boards of completing a double-double, while freshman Khalis Cain tallied eight and seven in her second consecutive start. 

The Spartans shooting night started slow in the opening 10 minutes, but a lack of points didn't keep the home team from limiting the Aggies to 4-of-15 shooting in the first quarter. The UNCG defense forced eight turnovers in that opening period, but 13 of their own gave A&T the 11-5 advantage at the first break. 

The Aggies' shooting began to settle in during the second quarter as the Spartans started to heat up themselves. Head coach Trina Patterson's side took better care of the ball in the second quarter, but still only managed to add 11 to their total before the break, as NC A&T enjoyed a 32-18 lead at the half. 

The UNCG women were determined to win the third quarter however, dousing water on an A&T offense that had been heating up by incorporating the full court press. 

We knew that we had to protect the basketball," said coach Patterson in postgame. "We had 20 turnovers at halftime and we finished with 26. Our players just settled down. A&T does a great job of making you play bad ... So we had to go in, regroup, play with poise. I thought we were playing too rushed [in the first half], and that we weren't playing well at all, but we made the adjustments at halftime."

With the Aggies playing in their first contest of the season they were forced to adjust to a pressure they had not faced in the young season, and were able to muster just eight points on four buckets during the opening term of the second half. The Spartan offense took advantage of the Aggie disarray, hitting 6-of-12 with three shots made from beyond the arc. Powell was responsible for two of those field goals from range, bringing her total to 10 on the night.

Drawing some early fouls, A&T was forced to sit their starting big for most of the third quarter, leaving room for freshman Khalis Cain to work inside. The first-year Spartan hit all three of her attempts from the floor, while pulling down five rebounds and adding a block over that 10-minute span.

Still trailing by six, the Spartan defense continued to pour on the heat, further decreasing their opponents' scoring to just six points in the fourth. While the Aggies turned the ball over just eight times in the second half, the side was forced to take multiple poor-percentage shots, scoring all 14 of their points from inside the paint. 

Crudup would tally eight of her 16 in the final period, knocking down an off balance three with five minutes remaining to give her team a 46-42 lead down the stretch. The guard drew multiple fouls over the course of the fourth to get to the line twice before the end of regulation, hitting the last free throw of the night to give the Spartans a three-point advantage with five seconds remaining. 

The experience of the home squad showed through against the youth of the Aggies in the waning moments, as the Spartan defense forced A&T without a shot in the final possession of the game, clinching a 49-46 victory in the 2020 edition of the 'Battle of the Boro'.

Coming Up Next
The Spartans face nearby Elon on the road this coming Friday the 18th, facing the Phoenix for the first time since the 2013-14 season. 

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