GREENSBORO (February 19, 2018) – The North Carolina A&T men's basketball team did something the program has not done in 30 years. They finished undefeated at Corbett Sports Center. They put the final touches on a perfect home season with a 78-69 win over Maryland Eastern Shore Monday night in the Aggies home finale.
N.C. A&T's last undefeated season at home occurred during the 1987-88 season when they finished 11-0 at Corbett. During the 2017-18 season, the Aggies finished 12-0 at home as they won their 13th straight at Corbett.
What makes the 2017-18 Aggies different is how far they have come compared to the 1987-88 team. The 87-88 team were coming off an undefeated season at home during the 1986-87 season. Meanwhile, the 17-18 team recovered from a previous season where they were 3-10 at home.
“I think it is a huge accomplishment for these young men to finish undefeated at home,” said N.C. A&T coach Jay Joyner who has seen his team play in a party environment at home this season dubbed #ClubCorbett. “Not many teams are able to do that over an entire season. Basketball is a long season, so you figure at some point someone is going to have your number in your gym. So, it's one of those situations where you're proud but you keep plugging away.”
Not only did the Aggies (17-11, 10-3 MEAC) complete an undefeated season at home but they also moved into a three-way tie for first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with Savannah State and Bethune-Cookman. They are also guaranteed a winning season for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
It is the first time the Aggies have clinched a winning season in the regular season since the 1991-92 season. The Aggies finished that season 18-9. The 1991-92 season also marks the last time the Aggies won the MEAC regular-season title. The Aggies have double-figure wins in the conference for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
In his final game at Corbett, fifth-year forward Denzel Keyes had 21 points and nine rebounds on 9-for-14 shooting. Keyes has scored 20 or more points in three times in his last seven games and two of his last three.
The Aggie point guards were also superb. Freshman Kameron Langley had 15 points, six assists and only two turnovers. Junior Aaren Edmead also had 15 points to go along with four assists and only one turnover. Senior Davaris McGowens, also playing his final game at Corbett, had 10 points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. N.C. A&T, who shot 49.1 percent from the field this season at home, shot 51.9 percent on Monday. Yet, the Hawks (6-23, 2-12 MEAC) stayed competitive thanks to 19 offensive rebounds that led to a 21-11 advantage in second-chance points.
In fact, an Ahmad Frost layup with 4:50 remaining in the first half got the Hawks to within three at 32-29. The Aggies, who led from start to finish against Howard on Saturday, led for 35 minutes on Monday as they started to pull away after Frost's bucket.
Senior Amari Hamilton raced down court and knocked down a 3-pointer in transition to give the Aggies a six-point lead. It was followed by Edmead stepping into a three and knocking down for a nine-point advantage. Colen Gaynor stopped the Aggies momentum for a moment by knocking down a jump shot. But another perimeter shot by Edmead was set up by a pass from post from McGowens that gave the Aggies a 41-31 lead with 2:17 remaining in the first half.
The Aggies, who also have a perfect record (13-0) when leading at halftime, went into the locker room with a 43-33 lead on an Hamilton jumper. N.C. A&T maintained a double-figure lead for most of the second half as the Hawks did not get the lead under eight until a Tyler Jones 3-pointer cut the lead to six, 72-66, with 3:11 to play.
But the Aggies were 6 of 8 from the free throw line down the stretch to put the Hawks away. MDES guard Logan McIntosh led the Hawks with 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
The Aggies will leave the comforts of Corbett to play their final three games on the road as they go to Florida A&M (Feb. 24), Bethune-Cookman (Feb. 26) and N.C. Central (March 1).
