SPARTANBURG, S.C. – North Carolina A&T is still looking for that burst of confidence as it heads into conference play Saturday afternoon. The Aggies failed to crack the 60-point plateau for the sixth time in eight games as USC Upstate came away with a 65-54 win in men's basketball action Thursday night at G.B. Hodge Center.
It was Upstate's second win over A&T in less than a month after the Spartans were victorious 63-46 at Corbett Sports Center on Nov. 17. Sophomore Khary Doby led the Aggies with 13 points and six rebounds. Sophomore Trey Brown added 11 points off the bench as the Aggies (1-7) lost their seventh straight.
“I have no complaints with how hard we're working,” said A&T head coach Cy Alexander. “Our backcourt is just not as experienced as they will be two months from now. We give maximum effort. But offensive execution and making shots has been a problem.”
Upstate (7-2) was 3-for-17 from the floor over the first 12 minutes of the game and shot 30 percent in the first half. A&T could not take advantage because the shots on its end of the floor were rimming out as well. The Spartans started to make their push with five minutes remaining in the first half.
Fred Miller hit an open jump shot followed by a spinning move in the post by Spartans center Michael Buchannan. A put back by ShunQuez Stephens and another layup from Miller pushed the Upstate lead to 25-13 with a little more than a minute remaining in the first half.
“On most nights we're holding teams to less than 40 percent from the field,” said Alexander who saw the Spartans shoot 37.5 percent. “That is dag-on good defense, but we've just got to execute from the offensive end. That will come hopefully when we get some of our guys back.”
The Aggies played without sharpshooter Arturs Bremers and efficient rebounder Jerome Simmons. Alexander expects to have both men in the lineup on Saturday when the Aggies face conference foe Howard University at 2 p.m., in Washington, D.C.
Without Bremers the Aggies were 5-for-22 from 3-point range with many of those makes coming in the final minutes from Brown. Whitaker's 3-pointer to open the second half helped the Aggies close an 11-point halftime deficit to six, 28-22. The Spartans were able to stretch their lead back to double figures with an 11-2 run capped off by a 3-pointer by Ty Green.
Upstate saw its lead increase to as many as 21, 65-44, with three minutes remaining in the game.
“We're trying to stay positive and keep coaching them,” said Alexander. “No one is more disappointed in our record than I am. But basketball is a long season, and what counts more than anything else is conference. We're going to prepare like crazy and try to get a win on Saturday.”
Green, who had 20 points in the first meeting in Greensboro, matched that effort with 20 on Thursday. Buchannan had 11 points and five rebounds off the bench and Miller finished with 10.
