GREENSBORO - A place that has been so good to the North Carolina A&T men's basketball team over the last 32 years had suddenly become a house of horrors.
Not only were the Aggies missing numerous shots at Corbett Sports Center, but they were also falling behind by double figures which made life at home even scarier. In their previous four home games, the Aggies were shooting a combined 27 percent from 3-point range. In two of those games, they went to the half down by double figures.
But on Saturday evening, the Aggies put together their best shooting performance of the season to knock off the No. 2 team in the MEAC - Delaware State - 65-54. Senior Robert Johnson was the hottest of the Aggies as he knocked down all six of his shot attempts. He finished with 17 points, while Thomas Coleman added 10 points, 11 rebounds and four assists for his seventh double-double of the season.
"It makes a big difference when the ball is going through the basket,'' said head coach Jerry Eaves. "I thought we got a 40-minute effort tonight. But it all comes down to hitting shots. If we're hitting shots on a consistent basis, I feel like we're going to be a tough team to beat in March."
The Aggies shot 56 percent from the floor. Only once in the last seven games, have the Aggies shot better than 40 percent from 3-point range. They were 8-for-14 on Monday.
"I personally feel like this is the best we've played at home since I've been here,'' said senior guard Tavarus Alston, who finished with 11 points and four assists. "We've had a lot of guys in shooting slumps. They snapped out of that tonight. Hopefully, we can keep it going."
One of those players was senior guard Dwane Joshua. Joshua had connected on just four of his last 27 shots. But he finished with 16 points against Hornets and was 4-for-5 from 3-point range. The Aggies hit their first three 3-pointers against the Hornets, and took a 30-26 lead at the half.
The Aggies grew that lead to 49-36 with 9:22 to play on an Alston layup. Delaware State trimmed that lead to eight on a Brandon Baylor 3-pointer. Joshua answered with a three followed by another three from DSU's Marcus Neal to cut the Aggies lead to 52-44.
But Johnson put the finishing touches on the Hornets with a 3-pointer that he initially hesitated to take. Johnson's wise decision to take the shot gave N.C. A&T a 55-44 with lead with a little less than five minutes remaining in the game. The Hornets never got any closer than nine the rest of the way.
"At first I didn't want to pull it,'' said Johnson about the jump shot. "But I thought at the time we needed a basket, so I just shot it."
Neal led the Hornets with 16 points, and Marques Oliver had 10 rebounds. The Hornets dropped to 11-9 overall and 6-3 in the MEAC. The Aggies are 9-15 overall and 4-5 in the MEAC. They play again Monday night at 7 from the now beloved Corbett Sports Center. The game will be televised live on ESPNU.
