GREENSBORO - Before the North Carolina A&T men's basketball team defeated Coppin State 67-62 Sunday afternoon, sophomore guard
Nic Simpson walked into Corbett two hours before the game and was immediately approached with a question.
"How many points are you going to score today,'' said a curious Aggies fan.
"Enough to win,'' Simpson responded. When encouraged to give a specific number, Simpson's answer remained the same. Perhaps the mindset that led him to give such a prudent and carefully crafted answer helped him and ultimately the Aggies.
That's because 30 minutes into the game, Simpson had not only scored zero points, he was 0-for-8 from the floor. But over the last 10 minutes he made enough plays and scored enough points - 13 to be exact - to help the Aggies (7-14, 3-4 MEAC) snap a two-game home losing streak.
"There are other things other than making shots,'' said Simpson who had a career-high five steals. "I was trying to dive on the floor and show effort. Coach (Jerry Eaves) has been harping on making game-winning plays. He wants us to make the right pass, push the ball down the floor and if you're the guy with the open shot...take it."
Simpson got himself going after Tavarus Alston grabbed a rebound a raced the ball down the floor to find an open Simpson for a layup that cut the Eagles lead to 43-39. Another Alston steal and layup trimmed the lead to two. Simpson tied the game when he followed his own miss for another layup.
Simpson wasn't finished. He took a pass from Alston in the corner and launched a high arching shot through the hoop for a 3-point lead. It was the Aggies first lead since the 14:28 mark of the first half. Senior Robert Johnson concluded the 11-0 run with a turnaround jumper that gave N.C. A&T a 48-43 lead with 7:34 remaining.
Before the run, the Aggies were shooting just 28.2 percent. They ended the game by hitting 11 of their final 15 shots. The Aggies took control of the game when Thomas Coleman passed the ball out of the post to an open Alston for a 3-pointer that gave the Aggies a 58-51 lead with 3:45 to play.
"For 30 minutes, we couldn't hit a layup, free throw or jump shot,'' said Eaves. "But it was the first time the team did not unravel. The key was we didn't stop playing defense. We continued to defend, we continued to rebound the ball and with that we kept giving ourselves chances to get in the game. When we finally did hit a layup, and Nic hit the big three to take the lead, it gave us what we needed to take control of the game."
Alston led the Aggies with 17 points, five assists and five steals. Johnson added 16 points and six rebounds. Coppin State was led by Branden Doughty who finished with 16 points and six rebounds.
The Aggies will certainly need enough points to win Monday night when they take on the No. 1 team in the conference in Morgan State at 8 from Corbett Sports Center.
