GREENSBORO - For anyone wondering why North Carolina A&T men's basketball coach Jerry Eaves schedules a team like Carver Bible College in January, the answer became clear Tuesday night. It took an extra five minutes before the Aggies were finally able to beat the Cougars 85-76 in overtime. The win snapped an eight-game losing streak for N.C. A&T. All eight losses came during an eight-game road trip.
"It takes a long time to get those losses out of your system," said Eaves. "When you come off the road after losing seven or eight in a row, the mindset is not winning. I don't care who you are. It's very important to schedule these games so you can get the winning edge back on your shoulders before you go into the conference. This is nothing new for us. We normally start the New Year slow before we get it going."
The game hopefully served to rid the Aggies of some bad habits before defending MEAC regular-season champion Bethune-Cookman heads into Corbett Sports Center Saturday afternoon at 4. The Aggies were just 4-for-19 from 3-point range, surrendered 19 offensive rebounds to the Cougars and were hit with two technical fouls.
The game turned in the Aggies favor when Austin Witter took a pass from Marc Hill and knocked down a 3-pointer with 3:31 remaining in overtime to give the Aggies a 76-71 lead. But even that was tarnished when Witter was hit with his second technical foul for taunting.
"I'm going to address all the talking we're doing on the court," said Eaves. "I don't know why all of sudden this year we want to open our mouths. There is no place for it. We need to shut our mouths. Your playing will do your talking for you."
The Cougars didn't capitalize on the technical, therefore, the Aggies finally put the game away on consecutive dunks by R.J. Buck and Adrian Powell in the final minute of the game. The Aggies improved to 5-11 behind 21 points from senior guard Nic Simpson, who finished 11-for-13 from the free throw line. Witter posted his second career double-double as he ended the night with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
"It was a difficult night," said Eaves. "I'm just glad we were able to withstand and come out with a win.
A sure thing started to look shaky at the 8:51 mark of the second half. A 3-pointer by guard Sean Stringfellow gave the Cougars a 59-48 lead. Seconds later, the referee's whistle blew as Witter and Jovon Moses were battling for position in the post. Moses was called for the foul before making his situation worse by complaining to the official. Moses was whistled for a technical foul, giving the Aggies a bundle of free throws.
The Aggies hit five free throws on one trip without the clocking moving and cut the Cougars lead to six. Hill followed with a 3-pointer, and after a Powell free throw cut the lead to one, Witter followed his own miss to tie the game at 59 with 6:23 to play. The Aggies were able to expand that lead to four with 2:38 to play in regulation, but a Joshua Brown jumper and a Joe Comer layup sent the game into overtime tied at 69.
Brown led the Cougars with 15 points. The Cougars turned the ball over just three times in the first half and led 37-29. But the Aggies were able to win a game after trailing at halftime for the first time this season.
"We needed this win," said Eaves. "Now, we've got to get the point where we come to win. We just don't come to play. We come to win."
