North Carolina A&T is prepared to make history tonight in the WNIT

In 1982, the Cheyney State women’s basketball team made a run in the inaugural NCAA Women's Tournament that ended in a runner-up nod. After that, the Wolves made another Final Four run two years later. Since then, no other Historically Black College or University team has ever appeared in the Final Four. 

With notable hall-of-famers such as Vivian Stringer and Winthrop McGriff leading the pack, the Wolves were a force to be reckoned with and an inspiration for future Black head coaches. Since then, many HBCU programs have had notable runs in March Madness, including a nail-biter between the Jackson State Lady Tigers and LSU. The performance led to an eventual call-up to Ameshya Williams-Holliday, who was drafted by the Fever, becoming the first HBCU player drafted into the WNBA in two decades.

With the attention gravitating towards HBCU programs and their performances throughout March Madness, we can’t forget the other tournaments that have also been running in conjunction with the Big Dance. One team in particular has been making a run that shouldn’t go unnoticed.

North Carolina A&T’s WNIT History

North Carolina A&T has always been that team to note. With 10 MEAC regular season championships and five tournament championships, the Lady Aggies have consistently made splashes. With five March Madness appearances (0-5) and five WNIT appearances (3-5), the team is familiar with postseason tournaments.

The NIT has seen the Lady Aggies more often — 2010 was their most successful run when they went to the elite eight, taking on Miami and falling 84-77. Despite this, the team had a wildly successful overall season, winning their third consecutive conference title and becoming the only HBCU to win two consecutive games in the WNIT, beating Wake Forest and Charlotte. 

This year, it seems the Lady Aggies are on that same path 14 years ago. A&T moved to a new conference in the CAA and cruised through the season with a record of 22-11 and a 13-5 conference record. Led by the dominant post play of Chaniya Clark and the always-agile Jordyn Dorsey, the Lady Aggies are a well-oiled machine of speed and transition offense and a top-three-ranked defensive team in the Coastal.

What makes the Lady Aggies’ 2024 WNIT run so special

Though they fell in the CAA tournament to a well-coached Stony Brook team, they made it interesting. Despite 60 percent free throw shooting and 20 percent shooting from beyond the arc, they found life in second-chance points and points off turnovers to stay within single digits.

Although not claiming the conference title was a blow, the Lady Aggies got a shot in postseason play. A sixth appearance in the WNIT was offered, hosting two straight games at “Club Corbett”, the famed arena complete with music, emcees, and a more-than-occasional stroll session between timeouts. In those games, the Lady Aggies downed cross-town rival UNC Greensboro in front of a sellout crowd booming with the echoes of “AG-GIE PRI-DE” from students and alumni alike.

Following that game, NCA&T took on an Old Dominion team that last played in that famed 2010 season. While that 2010 game ended in a 79-65 loss, the result worked differently this time with a game-winning 3 from Maleia Bracone lifting NCA&T to a 48-45 victory. The team also posted a game-high 40 free throw attempts on 27 made shots to keep them on pace with ODU. Once again, Club Corbett stays open longer, thanks to the Lady Aggies.

Already matching the run of the 2010 team with two consecutive wins, A&T enters their third game of the WNIT against Troy tonight. With nearly identical records and postseason success, the only thing stopping the Lady Aggies from going to the next round is the Trojans and fatigue. Troy, like Miami, had a more than decent record coming into the season, with a dominant 96-62 win over FIU. 

Both teams have had four days of rest, but the Lady Aggies have a home-court advantage at Club Corbett. A&T can do the unthinkable and defeat a Trojan team to push past the 14-year-long barrier and become one of the best HBCU women’s basketball teams in history. A victory of this caliber means so much to not just the tens of thousands of A&T students, faculty and alumni but the millions of fans of the game who want to see history made once again. 

Ayentee has put fans on notice with their run, so let’s make sure we keep watch.