GREENSBORO – Norfolk State men's basketball coach Robert Jones said he doesn't like to run a defense like the box-and-one that requires one of his players to face guard an opponent's player while denying said person the opportunity to even have the ball passed to him.
But after seeing the halftime box score that showed N.C. A&T sophomore guard Sam Hunt with 24 points, Jones decided it wasn't the time to win any Good Samaritan awards. The Spartans went to a box-and-one in the second half, slowed down Hunt and came away from Corbett Sports Center with a 75-68 win over the Aggies Monday evening.
Hunt finished with a career-high 34 points, but took only three shots from the field in the second half after going 7-for-10 in the first half. N.C. A&T head coach Cy Alexander didn't mind Jones' defensive strategy. He did disapprove to the way Hunt's teammates reacted to the defense.
“I was proud of the way we played in the first half,” said Alexander. “When they took Sam Hunt out of the game in the second half, and so were relying on some others to make a few shots and we couldn't throw it in the ocean.”
Outside of Hunt's 9-for-13 performance, the Aggies were 10-for-47 (.213) from the floor. Meanwhile after trailing 39-29 at halftime thanks to Sam Hunt's hot start, the Spartans (8-12, 4-1 MEAC) started to heat up from the floor themselves. In a matter of four minutes, the Aggies witnessed their halftime lead disappeared as D'Shon Taylor's 3-pointer tied the game at 40.
Despite Hunt's difficulty getting open, the Aggies weathered the Spartans hot shooting thanks in part to Hunt getting to the free throw line and the strong play of junior center Steven Burrough in the post. Burrough finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.
Senior point guard Ahmad Abdullah's runner gave the Aggies a 49-48 lead with 10 minutes remaining. Taylor hit a short jumper to give the Spartans the lead back. They would never trail again even though a Bruce Beckford free throw moved the Aggies to within two at 56-54 five minutes remaining.
But a Zaynah Robinson drive off a pick-and-roll sparked an 8-1 Spartans run to give NSU a 64-55 lead with 2:41 remaining in the game. “When other people had to step up and score we couldn't make shots,” said Alexander. “Any time we would miss, they would get out in transition and score easily.”
For the fifth straight game, an Aggies opponent has shot better than 50 percent in the second half. Hunt who had his second 30-plus scoring night of the season, said his 24-point first-half performance was due to his teammates getting him the basketball. He is confident if a box-and-one comes again, his teammates will make opponents pay.
“The box-and-one made a difference, but I believe in the next game if it is done again, my teammates are going to make the shots needed to win.”
The Spartans had five players score in double figures, three of those players didn't start on Monday. NSU also played without its leading scorer Jeff Short. Starting guard Charles Oliver led the Spartans with 20 points.
