GREENSBORO – Senior Ahmad Abdullah and sophomore Sam Hunt did not open the season as backcourt mates in the starting lineup for the North Carolina A&T men's basketball team.
After Monday night that has a good chance of changing going forward. Sam Hunt posted a career-high 32 points on 7-for-11 shooting from 3-point range to lead the Aggies to their first win of the season, a 74-63 triumph over Northern Kentucky at Corbett Sports Center.
Abdullah added six points and eight assists with many of those dimes going to Hunt who cashed them in for 3-pointers. The win for N.C. A&T (1-7) snapped a nine-game losing streak dating back to last season.
"I obviously like the combination of Sam Hunt and Ahmad Abdullah a lot," said N.C. A&T head coach Cy Alexander. "You can expect to see that combination plenty of times this season."
Hunt has been battling a knee injury for most of the season. He even missed two games on the Aggies recent road trip. He came into the game shooting 30 percent from the floor and 13 percent from 3-point range. But he found his rhythm early against the Norse (1-4). He hit six of his first eight shots from the floor including three 3-pointers to give the Aggies a 27-23 lead with seven minutes to play in the first half.
“Everybody has been waiting for Sam Hunt to break out – the coaches, the fans, everybody,” said Alexander. “This young man has a bright future as an A&T Aggie. We just have to be judicious about how we use him in practice.”
Despite Hunt's hot streak, Norse guard Deontae Cole was able to bank in a jump shot at the buzzer to give NKU a 39-37 halftime lead. N.C. A&T still trailed by two three minutes into the second half, but a Joshea Singleton layup followed by a 3-point play from Bruce Beckford gave the Aggies a 46-43 lead. Even though they would never trail again, the Aggies lead was only three, 61-58, with five minutes to play. But Abdullah hit a baseline jumper, Hunt hit a free throw and Abdullah found Singleton alone in the corner for a 3-pointer that gave the Aggies a 67-58 advantage with 3:34 to play. Beckford slipped behind the defense and took a pass from Singleton to complete the 8-0 run.
"This is a huge relief for us," said Alexander about the Aggies first win. "We felt like we gave one away at home. We felt like we gave one away in the Hall of Fame Classic. We feel like we should have three wins right now, but we don't. So now our goal is to not give away any more games at home."
That goal will be tested Wednesday night as the Aggies welcome their cross-town rivals UNC Greensboro to Corbett for the first time in almost 24 years. The tip is at 7:30 p.m.
