Post by Bornthrilla on Jan 9, 2007 9:38:45 GMT -5
GREENSBORO, January 8, 2007 – The atmosphere was live and so was the feed from Corbett Sports Center on Monday night. The North Carolina A&T men’s basketball fed off of both as they defeated Howard 70-66 in front of 4,802 dancing, screaming and chanting fans.
“Next to the ACC this is the best environment in North Carolina,’’ said head coach Jerry Eaves. “I can’t see how anyone wouldn’t get excited about playing in this kind of atmosphere. We have the best fans, and they’re coming out more and more.”
The Aggies won their second consecutive nationally televised game from Corbett, this time on ESPNU. They also improved to 5-0 at home Jason Wills recorded his fifth career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Greg Roberts had his second consecutive standout game with 16 points and nine rebounds on 7-for-11 shooting.
Roberts is averaging 15.5 points and 8.5 boards in his last two games and is 12-for-18 from the floor in that same span. Austin Ewing added 16 points and was 6-for-6 from the line. The telling sign of the game, however, was the Aggies refusal to turn the ball over. They didn't commit a turnover in the final eight minutes of the game, and had just 12 turnovers for the game.
“We won because no matter what calls we didn't like -- shots that didn't fall -- we stayed together,'' said Ewing about an Aggies team that leads the conference in turnover margin. "As long as we stick together, we are going to come through. No matter what the circumstances are.".
The Aggies led by as many 14 in the first half. The Aggies however, made just two field goals over the first seven minutes of the second half and the Bison cut the lead to four. Roberts, who helped the Aggies put up 22 second-chance points, followed a Steven Rush miss with a tip-in to break the cold string.
The Bison stayed within 4-6 points over the next four minutes until a layup by Anegelo Hernandez and a strong move to the basket by Ewing put the Aggies up 56-47 with 7:21 to play. The Bison was able to get back down to four on a Darryl Hudson 3-point play.
But again as the Bison got closer, the Aggies would widened their margin. Ewing hit seven straight points over a two-minute stretch to put the Aggies up by 11. Will Gant answered for Howard (6-10, 2-2) with back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 63-58. Darek Mitchell’s three with 1:42 remaining cut the lead to two. Ewing, normally known for his 3-point shooting, took the ball to the basket again and drew a foul. Ewing’s two free throws put the Aggies up 65-61. The Bison could not answer with a series of threes as the Aggies won their third straight, improving to 6-9 overall and 2-1 in the conference.
The Aggies go on the road on Saturday to face Bethune-Cookman at 2 p.m., before traveling to Tallahassee, Fla., to face Florida A&M on Monday at 7:30 p.m. They return to television on Jan. 29 when they face Hampton on ESPNU from Corbett Sports Center at 7 p.m.
“Next to the ACC this is the best environment in North Carolina,’’ said head coach Jerry Eaves. “I can’t see how anyone wouldn’t get excited about playing in this kind of atmosphere. We have the best fans, and they’re coming out more and more.”
The Aggies won their second consecutive nationally televised game from Corbett, this time on ESPNU. They also improved to 5-0 at home Jason Wills recorded his fifth career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Greg Roberts had his second consecutive standout game with 16 points and nine rebounds on 7-for-11 shooting.
Roberts is averaging 15.5 points and 8.5 boards in his last two games and is 12-for-18 from the floor in that same span. Austin Ewing added 16 points and was 6-for-6 from the line. The telling sign of the game, however, was the Aggies refusal to turn the ball over. They didn't commit a turnover in the final eight minutes of the game, and had just 12 turnovers for the game.
“We won because no matter what calls we didn't like -- shots that didn't fall -- we stayed together,'' said Ewing about an Aggies team that leads the conference in turnover margin. "As long as we stick together, we are going to come through. No matter what the circumstances are.".
The Aggies led by as many 14 in the first half. The Aggies however, made just two field goals over the first seven minutes of the second half and the Bison cut the lead to four. Roberts, who helped the Aggies put up 22 second-chance points, followed a Steven Rush miss with a tip-in to break the cold string.
The Bison stayed within 4-6 points over the next four minutes until a layup by Anegelo Hernandez and a strong move to the basket by Ewing put the Aggies up 56-47 with 7:21 to play. The Bison was able to get back down to four on a Darryl Hudson 3-point play.
But again as the Bison got closer, the Aggies would widened their margin. Ewing hit seven straight points over a two-minute stretch to put the Aggies up by 11. Will Gant answered for Howard (6-10, 2-2) with back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 63-58. Darek Mitchell’s three with 1:42 remaining cut the lead to two. Ewing, normally known for his 3-point shooting, took the ball to the basket again and drew a foul. Ewing’s two free throws put the Aggies up 65-61. The Bison could not answer with a series of threes as the Aggies won their third straight, improving to 6-9 overall and 2-1 in the conference.
The Aggies go on the road on Saturday to face Bethune-Cookman at 2 p.m., before traveling to Tallahassee, Fla., to face Florida A&M on Monday at 7:30 p.m. They return to television on Jan. 29 when they face Hampton on ESPNU from Corbett Sports Center at 7 p.m.
