EAST GREENSBORO –  The North Carolina A&T men's basketball team did not look their sharpest but they still overcame an early deficit to defeat Charleston Southern 63-49 Friday night in the Aggies home opener at Corbett Sports Center. It was a great rebound game after the Aggies defeat at the hands of UNC Greensboro on Tuesday.

For the Aggies, it's all about playing well in March. It's November.

Therefore, N.C. A&T head coach Jay Joyner is willing to be patient while his team works out the rough edges.

“It's always great to bounce back,” said Joyner. “We're still under construction. This is the third consecutive year I was forced to blend guys in. When you're talking about players who played significant minutes you're really only talking about Kameron Langley and Ronald Jackson. As a coach, I have to continue to be patient and continue to teach. The way we started tonight; I was determined not to drive myself crazy.”

After falling behind 9-0, North Carolina A&T went on an 8-0 run with 13:45 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Ronald Jackson, to narrow its deficit to 9-8. The Aggies then closed the rest of the gap and grabbed a 30-27 lead heading into halftime. North Carolina A&T did most of its first-half damage in the paint, scoring 16 of its 30 points close to the basket.

North Carolina A&T kept its lead intact before going on a 6-0 run, finished off by Ronald Jackson's jumper, to grow the lead to 52-45 with 7:20 to go in the contest. The Aggies kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 63-49 win. North Carolina A&T took care of business in the paint, recording 18 of its 33 points in the lane.

The victory improved North Carolina A&T's overall record to 1-1.

The Aggies had three players score in double figures, led by Tyler Maye, who had 18 points and five steals. Langley added 14 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals and Ronald Jackson helped out with a double-double consisting of 13 points and 11 rebounds.

North Carolina A&T forced 21 Charleston Southern turnovers. The Aggies turned those takeaways into 14 points on the offensive end of the floor. Maye led the way individually with five steals. The Aggies, however, turned the ball over 23 times.

“We're not going to continue to win games turning the ball over 23 times,” said Joyner. “But these young men are giving everything they have every single day. It's going to take time. I know no one wants to hear that, but as a basketball coach I have to realize it's going to take time.”

The Aggies venture out on a 15-day road trip that includes stops in Utah, Texas and Jamaica. They will play at Western Carolina on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m., before flying off to distant lands.

I hope we gain experience,” said Joyner about the road trip. “We need to learn how to play together and how to compete hard as heck. I'm not putting any pressure on these young men during the road trip. I just want to evaluate and see are we getting better. I'm not focused per se on outcomes. We are about to play some really good basketball teams, so we're going to find out a lot about these guys. But it's all about getting these guys ready for March.”.

This article created using technology provided by Data Skrive.