DURHAM – Think back to when Thomas Coleman went 9-for-10 from the floor and scored 21 points to help the North Carolina A&T men's basketball team defeat N.C. Central in McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium in 2011. The Eagles were in transition at the time and therefore the game was a non-conference game.
Think back to when the Aggies defeated the Eagles in the 2013 MEAC tournament semifinals. Big win. It propelled the Aggies to the tournament title and a trip to the NCAA tournament but it didn't count as a conference game.
Fast forward to Saturday night when N.C. A&T senior point guard Ahmad Abdullah had a career game with 21 points (4-for-7 3-point shooting) and no turnovers in 44 minutes of action and senior Bruce Beckford made perhaps the biggest play of the game in a 67-63 overtime win over the Eagles at McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium in what did count as a conference game.
The win marked the first time the Aggies (7-18, 4-6 MEAC) defeated the Eagles (8-15, 3-6 MEAC) in a MEAC regular-season game since the Eagles started participating in MEAC play again in the 2011-12 season. It also ended a four-game losing streak to the Aggies chief rival and it ended a 15-game road losing streak for the Aggies dating back to Jan. 31, 2015. Ede Egharevba added 16 points.
“The kids came out with a lot of energy from the beginning,” said N.C. A&T interim head coach Jay Joyner. “We haven't won on the road in a long time, so to come in here and do it in this hostile environment in a rivalry game is huge for our players' confidence.”
Abdullah put the Aggies ahead 61-58 with 1:46 to play in regulation. After N.C. Central timeout, Rashuan Madison tied the game from the corner with 1:20 to play. After each team traded 3-point misses, the Aggies had a chance to win the game with 27 seconds remaining. But the Eagles defense forced the Aggies Sam Hunt into a tough shot to send the game into overtime tied at 61. It marked the Aggies and the Eagles first overtime game since 2011.
Within the first minute of the overtime, Eagles leading scorer Donte Holmes fouled out with 22 points on 7-for-14 shooting. Two minutes into overtime Egharevba, broke the tie with a 3-pointer. N.C. Central's Jeremiah Ingram cut the lead to one on a layup with 1:44 remaining in overtime. Beckford then made an alert play to win the game for the Aggies. As the Eagles double team converged on Beckford, Egharevba slashed to the basket from the wing. Beckford spotted him underneath the basket wide open for an easy layup and a 66-63 lead with 43 seconds remaining in overtime.
“It's an isolation play for Bruce,” said Joyner. “Whenever the double team comes I tell the wings to go to the basket because you're man just left you to double Bruce. Ede did just that and made me look like a genius tonight.”
Egharevba then picked up a loose ball on the Eagles next possession to clinch the Aggies second win in three games. The Aggies don't have to return to action for seven days when they host Florida A&M at Corbett Sports Center on Feb. 13 at 4 p.m.
“I thought Ahmad was clutch. He came through tonight,” said Joyner. “But I thought everybody stepped up. This win was about the kids and the effort they put out there tonight.”
