EAST GREENSBORO – On the shoulders of three double-figure scorers and over 3,000 screaming fans at Corbett Sports Center, the North Carolina A&T men's basketball team secured its first 2021-22 win on Thursday evening, a 77-69 victory over the Greensboro College Pride.

Graduate guard Tyler Maye poured in a season-high 18 points and seven rebounds to lead all scorers. 

"T-Maye has been plugged in all summer and all fall, and he's been playing well," said A&T head coach Will Jones. "In practice, in games, he's locked in. He's playing defense, he's making his mid-range jump shots, and he's locked in. He's doing exactly what I've asked him to do, so he's earned the right to play well, and that's why he is playing well." 

Freshman guard Marcus Watson contributed 13 points, and graduate guard David Beatty added 10 to round out double-figure scoring for the Aggies (1-3). 

Greensboro College (1-4) got off to a 7-2 run to start the game, aided by five points from senior forward Kristian Williams. 

A&T clawed back and eventually took the lead, 9-8, following a 3-pointer from junior guard Demetric Horton, who had a season-high eight points. The Aggies led by as many as six in the first half, but the Pride would not go quietly. GC tied the game at 25 with under a minute to play. 

A&T took a 28-25 advantage into the break, however, after another timely 3-pointer from Horton with 42 seconds remaining in the first half.

The Aggies came out firing in the second half, rifling off an 11-0 run to jump out to a 36-25 advantage. Their suffocating defense forced two turnovers during that spurt and 21 for the game. A&T outscored GC 29-13 in points off turnovers.   

The Aggies also won the rebounding battle Thursday night, 37-35, marking the first time they have out-rebounded an opponent this season. 

A&T cruised from that point. Fourteen players saw action, with sophomore guard Milton Matthews scoring his first points of the season, a 3-pointer to give the Aggies their largest lead of the game, 71-52, with 4:28 remaining. 

Graduate guard Kameron Langley tied his season-high with six assists. He also added eight points and three rebounds. The Aggies dominated in the paint, posting a 42-22 advantage in the paint. True freshman point guard Kyle Duke scored a career-high eight points with two assists and a rebound. 

"I think the biggest difference was the sense of urgency," said coach Jones. "I wasn't very happy with the first-half performance, in particular, the older guys, starting with Kam Langley. I didn't think they came out with the energy they needed to have. We had a great crowd in here, the fans came out, and I thought they should've given more energy, so I think it was the sense of urgency." 

Despite the win, there is still a lot that the Aggies can improve on as the season progresses. 

"Right now, we've got to get our chemistry right offensively," said coach Jones. "I think we've got to learn how to play together offensively. We've got to continue to play defense, and we've got to learn how to play hard and play our style. 

Some of the new guys don't understand what I want consistently, and that's to play hard every possession. We just have to continue to go through that learning process, continue to teach them in practice, and hopefully, on game day, we continue to get better every time out." 

NOTES: 

• The Aggies are now 15-3 (.833) at home under coach Jones. 
• A&T moves to 9-0 all-time against GC. 
• 30-of-62 (.484) field-goal shooting Thursday night is a season-best. 
• 11 of the 14 participating Aggie players scored in Thursday's game. 
• Maye scored 125 points in 16 games last season and already has 55 points in four games this year.