GREENSBORO-Head Coach Jerry Eaves helped seal the trifecta for North Carolina A&T in weekend home games, leading his team to an 87-70 victory against Chicago State in Corbett Sports Center, in which five different players scored in double figures, including a double-double by forward Lawrence Smith.
"It's a Division I win, it's our first win and now we have to learn how to win," said Eaves. "I think it was a great game."
North Carolina A&T continued to play well at home against Division I non-conference opponents. It was the Aggies fourth straight win over a non-conference Division I opponent at Corbett Sports Center.
The men's basketball win capped off an exciting weekend of Aggie sports on campus, following a victory by the women's basketball team against mid-major No. 18 Liberty on Friday, and a win on the gridiron on Senior Day against archrival N.C. Central on Saturday afternoon.
"Chicago State played with a lot of energy," said Eaves. "They were a tough match-up for us because everybody could attack the basket. That second half when they hit three, four, five jump shots in a row, it kind of reminded me again of Campbell. It's like, 'What's going on here? Are they going to get every shot?' But I think my kids responded well. Lawrence and DaMetrius (Upchurch) did a great job in the paint...Overall, I think the team played good and played hard."
Smith had 11 points and 12 rebounds in the victory, and senior guard Nic Simpson led the team with 14 points. Jean Louisme provided 13 points from the bench, while Marc Hill had 10 points and Adrian Powell had 12. The Aggies had 53 rebounds in the contest, getting 19 second chance points on 16 offensive rebounds.
"We're going to keep throwing the ball inside to [Smith] and DaMetrius, and also Austin because we've got interior players," Eaves said. "We're going to develop a little post game to where we can be consistent. We're so potent because we can shoot, but we have to develop an inside game, so that we've got a little more inside-out. Balance-wise, we'll be very hard to beat."
The Aggies ended the first half with a 37-20 lead against the Cougars. but the Cougars hit four straight 3-pointers to cut the Aggies lead to 57-51 with 10 minutes remaining. But the Aggies (1-3) got a baseline jumper from Nic Simpson, and a DaMetrius Upchurch block led to a Powell layup. Jean Louisme finished off the 7-0 run with a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Aggies command of the game again.
The Aggies had 13 players participate in Saturday's game, and Eaves said that will be typical of games this season, because so many of his players can contribute.
"We don't know who is going to be the leading scorer, the leading rebounder from night to night. I have no idea who it's going to be," Eaves said. "Our subs, everyone can score the ball, everyone can shoot the ball, everybody can attack the basket and hit free throws. So it's going to be very interesting to see how people try to match us up throughout the year."
The Aggies will take the court again on Wednesday at home in Corbett Sports Center, hosting Division III Johnson & Wales. They will then play the back-end of an Aggies basketball doubleheader, following the women's 2 p.m., game with a 7 p.m., game against Barber Scotia on Friday, Nov. 25.
