MEAC BB

[DiehardAggie70]

dsu 64 AGGIES 62 final.

[dj98]

We got to get behind the womens team!!!!!!!!

[Bornthrilla]

BANK SHOT ENDS AGGIES SEASON

RALEIGH, March 13, 2008 – Delaware State guard Trevor Welcher’s only offensive rebound and only made field goal proved detrimental for the North Carolina A&T men's basketball team Thursday night in a MEAC Tournament quarterfinal match-up at the RBC Center.

Welcher grabbed the ricochet from a missed Roy Bright 3-pointer and banked it in from the baseline to give Delaware State a 64-62, advancing the Hornets to the semifinals where they will face No. 1 seed Morgan State 6 p.m., Friday at the RBC. Austin Ewing led the Aggies with 15 points and Jason Wills added 13 points and six rebounds.

"When you think about all the hard work you put in – all the laps you run and all the weights you lift – and then when it came down to the end there was nothing we do about it,’’ said Ewing. “The ball bounced right to him.”

The loss means the Aggies will have to say farewell to seven seniors as the Aggies ended their season 15-16.

The two teams played in their third thrilling game of the season as foes. The ironic twist about Welcher’s shot is that it was Welcher’s 3-pointer on Jan. 21 that tied the game at 61 with 2.7 seconds remaining, but the shot also led to the Hornets bench running on the floor prematurely and being called for a technical foul that led to two Steven Rush free throws to win the game 63-61. A month later the two teams met in Greensboro where Roy Bright hit a clutch shot to lead Delaware State to victory.

On Thursday, Welcher’s shot led to celebration again, only this time the Hornets waited after Robert Johnson’s desperation 3-pointer to win the game went long.

“Everything worked out the way we wanted,’’ said head coach Jerry Eaves. “Other than having to burn some timeouts earlier than I wanted to do, I thought things were going our way. We forced the miss and then the young man kisses in a shot to win the game. That’s the way it goes.”

Before things started going the Aggies way, they trailed 59-53 with five minutes remaining. It’s a tough position to be in when playing Delaware State because the Hornets rarely turn the ball over and they run the shot clock down on nearly every possession.

But the Aggies did rally. With the Aggies down, Johnson tipped in a Rush miss to cut the lead to four. Johnson then made one of two free throws and later followed up a Thomas Coleman miss to cut the Hornets lead to 59-58 with 2:17 remaining.

“I’ve started to be more aggressive and more assertive,’’ said Johnson who did not play much early in the season, but has earned a starting position over the last two games. “I just wanted to come out and play hard.”

Johnson’s strong play was matched by another member of the Aggies future. Freshman Thomas Coleman, who hit two free throws in overtime to beat Florida A&M earlier in the season, hit two key foul shots to put the Aggies ahead 60-59 with 1:13 to play.

Bright gave the Hornets the lead back with 55 seconds remaining as he hit a mid-range jumper. Following an Aggies turnover, Hornets guard Kyle White was fouled by Jason Wills. White hit one of two free throws to give the Hornets a 62-60 lead. The Hornets sent Jason Wills to the line as he was bumped in the lane going after a loose ball. Wills, who is a 55.8 percent free throw shooter, showed he wasn't ready to end his career.

He hit both free throws to tie the game and set up Welcher’s end-of-game heroics.

“This was Ali-Frazier,’’ said Eaves. “Each team was trying to deliver the final knockout blow. The ball just didn’t bounce our way tonight.”

[JeffAggieFan]

You can't say that the guy lost the game. Del State just won it. I love how the guy did not quit when it was 59-53. Coleman and Wills hit four clutch Free Throws to keep us in the game

[Bornthrilla]

Yeah both Coleman and Apple Turnover manned up on those last free throws. I didn't think Apple had a chance in the world of making borh of them but he surprised me. BTW: After watching last nights game, I think the future of our low post players will be bright with the return of Coleman and Johnson. They both dominated at times under the basket.

[Bornthrilla]

“This was Ali-Frazier,’’ said Eaves.

Yeah and too bad we didn't have Angelo Dundee in our corner.

[DECKS]

jeffaggiefan said:

You can't say that the guy lost the game. Del State just won it. I love how the guy did not quit when it was 59-53. Coleman and Wills hit four clutch Free Throws to keep us in the game

The bottom line is the game shouldn't have been that close. DSU lost 4 starters from last season and they still beat us 2 out of three games.

[aahhbigboy]

Everyone's expectations are too high for Eaves. I mean, look at his record against Jackson for crying out loud. Jackson is a better recruiter and in-game coach. But with that being said, I agree with Decks wholeheartedly.

[Maxell]

dex said:

jeffaggiefan said:

You can't say that the guy lost the game. Del State just won it. I love how the guy did not quit when it was 59-53. Coleman and Wills hit four clutch Free Throws to keep us in the game

The bottom line is the game shouldn't have been that close. DSU lost 4 starters from last season and they still beat us 2 out of three games.

When you have a "program", it doesn't matter how many kids you lose year to year. We lost both times on a last second shot.

[aggiejazz]

I think Coach Jackson of Del State is a good coach but if you look at his budget you all would be very disappointed. Del State basketball budget is $1.8 million dollars compared to Davidson's budget is $1.14 million and A&T's budget is $690,000.

[aahhbigboy]

yadda yadda yadda. I guess Capel had the highest budget. I guess Corbett had the highest budget. I guess Fang had the highest budget this year. 690K is more than enough. Far more than enough.

[aggiejazz]

aahhbigboy said:

yadda yadda yadda. I guess Capel had the highest budget. I guess Corbett had the highest budget. I guess Fang had the highest budget this year. 690K is more than enough. Far more than enough.

A&T got 5th place and was two games out of third place. It would have been nice if A&T had finished in the top 3 but I say you got your money's worth. In a tournament it is also about who can get hot that is why a team with 4 wins can win the MEAC tournament like FAMU did a few years ago.

[aahhbigboy]

aggiejazz said:

aahhbigboy said:

yadda yadda yadda. I guess Capel had the highest budget. I guess Corbett had the highest budget. I guess Fang had the highest budget this year. 690K is more than enough. Far more than enough.

A&T got 5th place and was two games out of third place. It would have been nice if A&T had finished in the top 3 but I say you got your money's worth. In a tournament it is also about who can get hot that is why a team with 4 wins can win the MEAC tournament like FAMU did a few years ago.

Agree 100%. But I will add this.....You also need a competent leader. We are lacking in that area.

[Maxell]

I disagree with some folks that may say in-state recruiting is key. I happen to think that for basketball at A&T, out-of-state recruiting is more key. In state bluechippers want to go to the majors and may have already formed negative opinions from the adults/peers around them. Usually out-of-state bluechippers usually have not heard of A&T and have no preconceived notions unlike in-staters. In A&T's heyday, half the team was from New York.

I love football but life is good at A&T with a very competitive football team and a perennial championship basketball team. We had a 20-year span where that was the case.

[truthseeker]

aahhbigboy said:

yadda yadda yadda. I guess Capel had the highest budget. I guess Corbett had the highest budget. I guess Fang had the highest budget this year. 690K is more than enough. Far more than enough.

corbett & capel's budget were about the same as it is now... you have more d-1 teams now who has stepped up their game where we have stayed the same...