The Greensboro native scored just six points in North Carolina A&T's  67-58 win over S.C. State in men's basketball action Saturday at SMH Memorial Coliseum. Johnson's six points and his return were just what a struggling Aggies team needed. Johnson had missed the Aggies last five games with a shoulder injury.

The Aggies went 1-4 in that stretch, including two home losses.

"The young men have been down lately,'' said head coach Jerry Eaves. "So when he came back it was the lift we needed. Robert is such a positive person that he brings a positive outlook to our team when he is on the floor. His return was the right medicine at the right time for us."

The Aggies had been hampered by slow starts most of the season. But Saturday was different. They played even with the Bulldogs until a steal by Tavarus Alston led to a no-look pass from Alston to Thomas Coleman for a dunk. That was followed by a Dwane Joshua 3-pointer from the corner that gave the Aggies a 30-23 lead with 6:34 remaining in the first half.

N.C. A&T stretched its lead to as many as 11 in the first half before going into the locker room with a 36-27 lead. When Tavarus Alston hit a 3-pointer to open the second half, the Aggies found themselves up by 12, their biggest lead of the game. It would not be that easy for the Aggies, however. The Aggies had won in Orangeburg just once in the last 14 seasons, and the Bulldogs didn't want to see it happen again.

A 10-0 run tied the game at 48 with 10 minutes remaining. Sophomore guard Nic Simpson, who had been sidelined with foul trouble most of the game, pulled the Aggies out of their slump. Eaves put Simpson back in the game and then proceeded to call a play for his sharpshooter.

Simpson came off of a curl, found himself open, and then took a pass from Austin Witter and connected on a 3-pointer to give the Aggies a 51-48 advantage. On the Aggies next possession, Simpson went into the paint and scored over the out-stretched arms of two Bulldog defenders. When Simpson threaded a pass to Coleman for a layup, the Aggies had completed a 9-1 run to go ahead 57-49 with 7:14 remaining.

"I really felt like we needed to jumpstart our offense, and Nic provided that,'' said Eaves. "I think the five straight points he hit got us over the hump tonight. That was a big moment in the game for us."

The Aggies improved to 6-13 on the season and 2-4 in the MEAC as they snapped a four-game losing streak. The Bulldogs dropped to 8-8 overall and 2-3 in the conference. Alston led the Aggies with 18 points and five assists. He also had four 3-pointers. Witter finished with a season-high seven assists. The Bulldogs were led by Jason Flagler who had 20 points and 10 rebounds.

The Aggies return to action Monday night when they face arch-rival Winston-Salem State from Lawrence Joel Coliseum. Game time is 7:30 p.m.