EL PASO, Texas – Freshman guard Fred Cleveland, Jr. had a career night for the second straight night scoring 21 points on 6-for-9 shooting, but the Aggies dropped a neutral site contest against Kent State, 85-71 in overtime at the Don Haskins Center.
 
It was the Aggies second game at the Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational. N.C. A&T falls to 3-9 overall. But Cleveland earned all-tournament honors.
 
The Aggies played an extremely strong game with superb efforts from Andre Jackson and Kameron Langley. Jackson had 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds to go along with four assists. Langley scored in double figures for just the second time all season with 14 points and added seven rebounds and seven assists. Ronald Jackson nearly recorded a double-double with 17 points and eight rebounds.
 
The Aggies dominated much of the first half leading for almost 16 minutes. N.C. A&T jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead aided by five points from Andre Jackson.  The Aggies held their largest lead of the half at 10 after Ronald Jackson hit back-to-back 3-pointers with just under 12 minutes remaining. Kent State went on a 9-0 run over four minutes to take a 30-29 lead with 4:22 remaining in the first half.
 
N.C. A&T would outscore the Golden Flashes 11-9 to take a 41-40 advantage into the locker room.
 
The second half was exhilarating. Both teams took turns trading blows and the game was tied at 60 with 2:15 to play. The Aggies went ahead by four, 64-60, before Kent State hit a three to cut it to one. After a crazy sequence including a technical foul on Kent State, the Aggies claimed a 68-65 lead. A Golden Flash broke free in the corner and tied the game at 68 with a second remaining, sending the game into overtime.
 
The Aggies couldn't get anything going in overtime and the Golden Flashes took control of the game, outscoring A&T 17-3 in the extra period to claim the victory, 85-71.
 
The Aggies have a few days off for the holiday before taking on ACC foe Wake Forest on Sat., Dec. 21 in Winston-Salem. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m.