HOUSTON, Texas – The North Carolina A&T bowling team is in first place after knocking down 5,219 pins and going 3-2 in Friday's baker matches at Sam Houston's Kat Klash. The fifth-ranked team in the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) averaged 208.8 pins on Friday. 

The Aggies went 3-2 on the day, and they are 12-6 on the season going into Saturday's competition.   

The team opened up Friday's competition with a 1,081-843 win over No. 18 Lincoln Memorial. The Aggies won all five games with a match-high 257 in Game 5 to secure the win. They moved to 2-0 on the season against LMU. 

Next up, A&T faced the No. 1 Nebraska Cornhuskers. 

It was a back-and-forth match as Nebraska took Game 1, 258-216, but the Aggies responded with a 225-206 triumph in the second game. The teams split the next two games, with A&T holding a slight 16-pin advantage, but Nebraska bowled a 278 in Game 5 to win the match by 55 pins, 1,120-1,065. 

The Aggies dropped their next match against Maryville, 1,056-1,045. Then, going into the fourth match of the day 1-2, A&T finished the day by beating Valparaiso 958-857 and No, 17 Central Missouri, 1,039-895. 

Saturday's action will feature individual traditional matches that will determine the seeding for Sunday's bracket play. Teams will begin bowling at 10 a.m.