GREENSBORO - It's a numbers game for the North Carolina A&T men's basketball team this season. There are some specific numbers North Carolina A&T head coach Jerry Eaves wants his team to reach each game.

The Aggies met many of those milestones, including the most important milestone. Their number of points was more than that of their opponent. N.C. A&T defeated Brevard College 92-63 Friday night in its season opener played at Corbett Sports Center.

Nic Simpson led the way by scoring 21 points on 5-for-10 shooting from 3-point range. Tavarus Alston added 20 points on 4-for-11 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. Fellow Greensboro native Robert Johnson scored the Aggies first 11 points and finished 18 points on 4-for-9 3-point shooting.

So you guessed it. The amount of 3-pointers the Aggies take this season is one of those important numbers. The Aggies were 15-for-39 from beyond the arc on Friday.

"We want to shoot about 40 per game,'' said Eaves. 'We have some really good shooters on this team. I was not surprised when I saw Robert Johnson hit his first three (3-pointers). I was surprised when he missed."

The Aggies took 75 shots on Friday. The thinking is that if the Aggies can cut down on their turnovers, reaching 80 shot attempts with half of them being 3-pointers is attainable. Eaves believes a good number for turnovers per game is 11. The Aggies committed 12 turnovers as opposed to the Tornadoes' 22.

"I think the key was our full court pressure,'' said Eaves about a Division II Brevard team that UNC Asheville on Monday. "If we had of played them in a half court set they would have had an opportunity to beat us. Our pressure got some opportunities to get out in the open floor. We want to shoot more threes on the break this year, and those turnovers allowed us to do that."

After a slow start, the Tornadoes were able to get to within five at 21-16 in the first half. But the Aggies went on a 14-3 run keyed by two Alston 3-pointers to put the Aggies up by double figures for good.

Nic Simpson scored 18 of his game-high 21 in the second half. He hit his first three 3-pointers of the second half to give the Aggies a comfortable 59-32 lead with 16 minutes remaining.

When Thomas Coleman turned to the basket and made a thunderous slam over a Tornado defender, he had already added a bonus to his numbers. Coleman finished the night with his third career double-double --- 11 points and 14 rebounds. He also had five blocked shots.

"I told Thomas I wanted him to average 15 rebounds and five blocked shots this year,'' said Eaves. "That will put him in the top five in the nation in both categories. That's where I believe he should be."

Coleman and the Aggies have a chance to add to their numbers Sunday when they face Marshall on the road at 2 p.m.