Breaking
it down: When the starting lineup is announced at most college
basketball games, it is an extravaganza. Some universities cut the lights out.
Other institutions play a video. The pep bands usually blast out a tune.
But schools typically don't recognize non-starters prior
to contests.
Considering the way the North Carolina A&T bench
played Monday night, perhaps the Aggies should do just that. The Aggies bench
scored 51 points in N.C. A&T's 87-65 win over UNC Greensboro, in the annual
tilt at the Greensboro Coliseum between the two Division I basketball schools
in the Gate City.
The win gives the Aggies the city bragging rights for the
second consecutive season as the margin of victory was the largest in the
14-game history of the series. N.C. A&T has won four straight.
"We've got players on the bench who can play, who didn't
play today," said N.C. A&T head coach Jerry Eaves. "My starters understand
they may not get the same amount of minutes, game in and game out. We're deep."
Junior R.J. Buck led the Aggies assault from off the
bench with 16 points and five rebounds on 7-for-9 shooting. Fellow junior reserve
Austin Witter added 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and Kam
Shepherd came off the bench to post 11 points and blocks.
"I like seeing guys on my team score as much as I like to
see myself score," said Buck.
Buck must have had a blast on Monday. No matter who Jerry
Eaves subbed into the game, shots went through the hoop for N.C. A&T. The
Aggies shot 61.5 percent in the first half to take a 42-28 lead. The Spartans
never got the lead under double figures in the second half, but an alley-oop
toss from Korey Van Dussen to Trevis Simpson did cut the Aggies lead to 44-34 during
the first two minutes of the second half.
Nic Simpson's 3-pointer ended UNCG's surge and sparked an
11-3 run for the Aggies that extended their lead to 18. A four-point play by
Trevis Simpson cut the Aggies lead to 58-46 with 10 minute remaining, but a Nic
Simpson 3-point play gave the Aggies another answer. N.C. A&T would go on
to lead by as many as 26 in the second half.
"The more we couldn't convert, the more we let our head
down," said UNCG head coach Mike Dement. "The more they knocked down shots or
got an offensive rebound, the more they grew in their confidence."
Trevis Simpson led the Spartans with 17 points. Junior
guard Nic Simpson led the Aggies' starters with 13 points. Eaves will take his
deep bench to Durham on Saturday to face archrival N.C. Central at 4 p.m.
"It's our mission to be unselfish," said Buck. "We're
like a family out there."
The keys to the Aggies win:
- The Aggies shot the ball well
all night. UNCG didn't. The Spartans had several shots rim in and out,
while the Aggies had their shooting stroke working. The Aggies shot 57
percent from the floor, but actually cooled off in the second half by
shooting 53 percent.
- The Aggies ball movement was
excellent. They dished out 21 assists five days after dishing out 28
assists against Johnson & Wales.
- The Aggies converted UNCG turnovers
and missed jump shots into transition points. UNCG only scored two
fast break points, and never got into their transition game.
Unsung: Center Kam Shepherd played big for the Aggies in the
first half. He made three quick baskets on three nice catches in the post to
help the Aggies build a cushion. Shepherd also blocked three shots.
What did he say?: "We were playing this one like it was a
conference game. I told them I could be a little more tolerant of mistakes over
the first six games, but this one was like our first conference game, so we had
to execute. My young men played
tremendously. They attacked the basket. They shot the ball well early, which
gave us a nice lead so that when they made their runs we could hold them off.
The whole team's effort was tremendous."
N.C.
A&T head coach Jerry Eaves
