PRINCESS ANNE, Md. (February 20, 2017) – There is no indication that North Carolina A&T players are ready to give up on the 2016-17 men's basketball season. Forty-eight hours after enduring their worst conference loss in three years, the Aggies gave tremendous effort at Hytche Athletic Center Monday night in a 106-95 triple overtime loss to Maryland Eastern Shore.
The tough loss kept the Aggies (2-26, 0-13 MEAC) winless in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. For the first time this season the Aggies had five players score in double figures. After making his first start in a month, junior Eliel Gonzalez had a career night with 23 points in 53 minutes played as he hit difficult shot after difficult shot to put the game into multiple overtimes.
Redshirt junior Sam Hunt scored 19 points on 5-for-8 shooting from 3-point range including an incredible shot to send the game into a second overtime. Redshirt junior James Whitaker matched his career high with 17 points off the bench. Meanwhile graduate center Aaron Scales recorded his third double-double of the season with 11 points and 14 rebounds.
After Hunt's incredible 3-pointer on a turnaround jumper sent the game into a third overtime tied at 89, the Hawks (10-18, 7-6 MEAC) scored the first 11 points of the third overtime to take command of the game. Six of those points came from the free throw line. By the time redshirt sophomore Amari Hamilton scored on a layup, the Aggies were trailing 100-91 with 1:55 to play.
It was a disappointment after the Aggies led 65-59 with 4:26 remaining in regulation. MDES got that lead down to one at 66-65 on two Isaac Taylor free throws. Hunt responded by hitting his 45th and 46th free throws in a row on the season to put the Aggies back up three 10 seconds later. MDES guard Logan McIntosh drove to the basket and scored to get the game back to within one at 68-67 with 1:18 to play.
N.C. A&T had a chance to extend that lead with 37.2 seconds remaining, but Scales missed two free throws to give the Hawks an opportunity to win the game. McIntosh could not get it done for the Hawks, however, after being fouled by Austin Williams. McIntosh made one of two free throws to tie the game at 68 with 27 seconds remaining. Whitaker and Hunt both had chances to win the game for N.C. A&T but each one missed 3-pointers to send the game into its first overtime.
In the first overtime, the Aggies overcame a six-point deficit as Gonzalez came up big in the final two minutes of overtime No. 1. His 3-point play cut the Hawks' lead to 76-73. Then with the Aggies down two points with 25 seconds remaining, Gonzalez gritty shot to tie the game at 77 to send the game into a second overtime.
As the second overtime started, the Aggies again got off to a slow start. A Bakari Copeland dunk gave the Hawks an 82-77 with 4:20 remaining in the second overtime. A Whitaker 3-pointer and a Gonzalez layup tie the game at 82. The Hawks rebuilt their lead to 87-83 before Hamilton, who had 13 points coming off the bench Monday, hit a three to cut the lead to one. Two Copeland free throws then set up Hunt's heroics at the end of the second overtime.
Copeland, who had 26 points in Greensboro on Jan. 9 in a MDES win, finished with 29 points on Monday. The Aggies will end the regular season with three straight home games starting with Savannah State on Saturday at 4 p.m.
