North Carolina A&T's Maleia Bracone hit a clutch game-winning three-pointer to power the Lady Aggies over Old Dominion 48-45 to advance in the 2024 WNIT tournament. The game was hosted in North Carolina A&T's Corbett Sports Center, affectionately known by A&T students and alumni as “Club Corbett”, with 3,224 fans in attendance for the team's historic run in the WNIT.
Bracone was a hero for the Lady Aggies in the tightly contested game, finishing with 17 points and a career-high seven steals in 38 minutes of play. She was one of just two players in double figures for North Carolina A&T, with D'Mya Tucker scoring 10 points, in a matchup against a talented Old Dominion squad. She'd missed four three-pointers prior to her game-winner, as she admits that she had a rough season shooting from behind the arc. In the 2023-2024 season, Bracone shot 25.3% from three. But, she connected on the shot that matters, keeping North Carolina A&T's postseason hopes alive.
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“In my head, I was like don't miss, don't miss, don't miss,” Bracone said postgame in comments obtained by North Carolina A&T athletics. “This season really wasn't the best season for me shooting-wise. But just knowing D'Mya (Tucker) trusted me meant so much. I have the mindset of shooters shoot, it's going to fall, it's going to fall. Just keep working on it. Luckily, it went in and ended up winning the game.”
The final possession was expert awareness by the Aggies. Forward Talia Davis fired a pass to D'Mya Tucker after she sprinted across the key. The ODU defense collapsed on Tucker and she immediately tossed the ball to an open Bracone. The defense hustled for a late close-out as Bracone had ample opportunity to get into her shooting motion and fire off the game-winning jumper.
Tucker explained her thoughts on the possession and detailed how she read the defense and anticipated the collapse on her after she caught the ball.
“I know our reads. I knew if the help didn't step up to me, I either had a shot at the elbow or a drive. But if (Bracone's) man helped, her three was going to be open, and fortunately, they left our shooter open, so I just passed her the ball because I knew she was open.”
North Carolina A&T coach Terrell Robinson was fired up for his team's success and big win, saying, “I can tell they want to win. This kid here (Tucker), her elbow was by the rim grabbing rebounds. This young lady right here (Bracone) was getting on the floor and getting in passing lanes. We were boxing out. We were going to the rim hard. We just have to clean up the execution stuff. We have to make our free throws. Make our layups. Make the right reads.”
He also signlaed that they aren't content with the big-time win and look to make more history as they advance further in the WNIT.
“One other (A&T) team got this point, and now we are at that point, and we want to surpass it. It's just a blessing to be able to play at home again on Friday against FIU or Troy. They will get a break tomorrow. On Tuesday morning, we will have an idea of who we will play and get back to work. We'll see everybody again on Friday. We'll need that same energy. That same fan support. That same Aggie Nation. We need you.”
The Lady Aggies will either face FIU or Troy on Friday at 7 PM EST in the Corbett Sports Center on the campus of North Carolina A&T.
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