news-record.com

DULUTH, Ga. -- To end the MEAC's losing streak in the NCAA Women's Tournament, N.C. A&T needed Brittanie Taylor-James and Amber Bland to have big games.

"We knew coming in that we had to have a lot of things go right," coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs said.

Instead, the opposite happened as A&T's best players who struggled.

The senior standouts, who account for 45 percent of the Aggies' scoring, were a combined 6-for-22 from the floor Saturday against No. 12-ranked Florida State and the result was predictable.

A&T never quit, getting to within three points midway in the second half. The Seminoles pulled away, though, winning 83-71 in the Arena at Gwinnett Center outside Atlanta.

It was a difficult way for a memorable season to end and the Aggie players, as well as their veteran coach, had tears afterward.

"We played a good team, but I know we are a good team," Cage-Bibbs said.

"I'm just very proud of these young ladies."

FSU (26-7) was as hot as A&T (26-7) was cold, shooting 57.1 percent and going 9-for-19 from behind the 3-point arc. The Aggies battled the bigger Seminoles evenly on the boards, but didn't get the normal production from their leading scorers.

Held to six combined points in the first half, Taylor-James and Bland finally got it going a little in the second half. But they still totaled just 19 points, with Bland getting 13 of them.

Taylor-James was 2-for-11 from the floor, while Bland was 4-for-11. Usually reliable from outside, they were 3-for-9 behind the arc.

"We just didn't knock down our shots like normal," Bland said. "They did play good defense. But with any shooting, you have an off day and today was just our off day."

The Aggies got 19 points from Ta'Wuana Cook and 14 from fellow reserve Lamona Smalley, but that wasn't enough to get A&T the victory it wanted so badly.

"We gave it a hard fight, but it just didn't fall our way," said Taylor-James, who was held to six points -- 13 below her average.

Thanks to a tough non-league schedule, the Aggies received a No. 14 seed rather than the MEAC's traditional No. 16. Drawing Florida State, which finished tied for first in the ACC during the regular season, wasn't much of a bargain, however.

The Seminoles placed five players in double figures, led by Alysha Harvin's 18 points. Tanae Davis-Cain hit four 3-pointers en route to 16 points, Mara Freshour scored 14 and 6-foot-4 center Jacinta Monroe and Cierra Bravard each scored 11.

Davis-Cain also had the job of guarding Taylor-James, the player of the year in the MEAC.

"She's a jump shooter and I stayed out on her and tried to keep her from getting off many 3s," Davis-Cain said.

It worked. Taylor-James got off just two. One fell, but she was 1-for-9 from inside the arc.

Although this was A&T's first trip since 1994, Taylor-James and Bland had played in the NCAA Tournament as freshmen at U.C. Santa Barbara and Penn State, respectively.

As the final seconds ticked off, the Aggie fans in the crowd of 2,704 gave the team a standing ovation.

"We have great fans," Taylor-James said. "I think if we were to play in China, then they would come that far. It just shows that we are truly one big family."

FSU plays No. 19-ranked Arizona State, the sixth seed, on Monday in the second round.

N. CAROLINA A&T (26-7) -- Waddell 0-2 2-2 2, Taylor-James 2-11 1-3 6, Bland 4-11 3-3 13, Bullock 0-1 0-0 0, Sams 5-8 3-4 13, Alford 0-0 0-0 0, Cook 7-14 3-4 19, Thomas 1-2 0-0 2, DeBlanc 1-2 0-0 2, Smalley 5-9 4-6 14. Totals 25-60 16-22 71.

FLORIDA ST. (26-7) -- Harvin 8-15 0-0 18, Freshour 6-9 0-0 14, Ward 1-3 2-2 5, Davis-Cain 6-12 0-0 16, Monroe 4-5 3-4 11, Gray 0-1 2-2 2, Moore 2-4 0-0 4, Hunnicutt 0-2 2-2 2, Keough 0-0 0-0 0, Bravard 5-5 1-2 11. Totals 32-56 10-12 83.

Halftime--Florida St. 40-31. 3-Point Goals--N. Carolina A&T 5-12 (Cook 2-4, Bland 2-6, Taylor-James 1-2), Florida St. 9-19 (Davis-Cain 4-9, Freshour 2-3, Harvin 2-4, Ward 1-2, Hunnicutt 0-1). Fouled Out--None. Rebounds--N. Carolina A&T 33 (Bland 8), Florida St. 30 (Bravard 5). Assists--N. Carolina A&T 11 (Bland 6), Florida St. 23 (Freshour 8). Total Fouls--N. Carolina A&T 14, Florida St. 19. A--2,704.