CHARLOTTE – The North Carolina A&T men's basketball team dropped an in-state road contest against the Charlotte 49ers, 76-72, inside Halton Arena in non-conference action Saturday evening.
 
 "Proud of our efforts," said N.C. A&T coach Will Jones. "We are improving. The next thing we need is a breakthrough, and I think it's coming soon."
 
 N.C. A&T pushed the Niners all game long before coming up short to drop to 3-8. Junior wing Tyrone Lyons drove into the lane for a bucket to make it 66-63 with just over three minutes remaining. From there, Charlotte (3-3) pushed their lead to eight with a quick 5-0 run, but the Aggies weren't done. 
A pair of free throws from sophomore forward Jeremy Robinson followed by a clutch 3-pointer from junior Quentin Jones was a part of a 7-1 Aggies run to make it a two-point game at 72-70. But N.C. A&T couldn't finish the comeback. 
The Niners shot 4-for-4 from the free throw line down the stretch to ice the game.
 
 Jones had a team-high 19 points on 6-for-11 shooting, including a scorching 6-for-8 from 3-point range. Jones has led the Aggies in scoring over the past three games. Junior guard Blake Harris was the other Aggie to join him in double-figures with 15. Robinson and Lyons each had a team-high four rebounds, but Charlotte outrebounded the Aggies 26-18. 
 
 Sophomore guard Jahmir Young led Charlotte with his 27 points as the Niners shot 59.6 percent from the field. Senior big man Milos Supica scored 14 points and had a team-high 11 rebounds.
 
 Lyons got the scoring going for the Aggies, sinking to free throws to tie the Charlotte 49ers at 2. N.C. A&T found themselves down 13-5 early but caught fire and went on a 16-2 run over the next four minutes of play. A steal and score from junior guard Kenyon Duling coupled with back-to-back 3-pointers by junior forward Quentin Jones aided in the spurt. The Aggies held the 49ers scoreless for 2 ½ minutes of the run as well. The Aggies took a 35-27 lead into the locker room at the half. 
 
 The Aggies will return home next Tuesday, Dec. 22, to host UNC Greensboro in the Battle for the Boro. Tip-off is at 6 p.m. inside the Corbett Sports Center.