A&T STATISTICAL LEADERS: C Collin Smith (11 pts., 7 rebs., 5 offensive,); C Harry Morrice (10 pts., 4-for-7 FGs); G Demetric Horton (9 pts., 4-for-8 FGs, 7 rebs., 3 offensive); G Kameron Langley (9pts., 4-for7 FGs, 5 assists). 

HOWARD UNIVERSITY STATISTICAL LEADERS: G Kyle Forster (18 pts., 7-for-13 FGs, 4-for-8 3FGs, 9 rebs.); F Steve Settle (15 pts., 6-for-11 FGs, 5 rebs.); G Tai Bibbs (13 pts., 4-for-8 FGs, 2-for-5 3FGs, 5 rebs.; G Elijah Hawkins (7 pts., 10 assists); F Randy Brumant (9 rebs.). 

WHY A&T DID NOT GET THE W: The Aggies never got into a rhythm offensively. The Aggies shot 35.9 percent for the game. It was a combination of the Aggies perimeter shots not falling, and the Aggies missed numerous point-blank layups that either rimmed out, circled out, or did a combination of both. Two of their leading scorers in guards Tyler Maye (1-for-9) and Marcus Watson (2-for-11), combined to go 3-for-20 from the floor. 

WHY HOWARD UNIVERSITY DID GET THE W: The Bison had a pretty good playmaker. In the second half, point guard Elijah Hawkins executed the HU offense almost flawlessly. He finished with 10 assists on the night, but that number would probably be doubled if basketball counted assists the same as hockey. Hawkins' ability to beat his defender off the dribble and get into the lane caused havoc. He collapsed the A&T defense once he got into the lane leading to the extra pass leading to A&T scrambling to get to open shooters. HU scoring on backdoor cuts was not particularly helpful either. 

CRUCIAL: Those aforementioned open shooters consistently connected on 3-point field goals in the second half. HU hit five of their first six 3-point attempts in the second half. That turned Howard's 31-30 halftime lead into a 61-46 HU advantage 9 ½ minutes into the second half. HU went 8-for-12 from 3-point range (.667) in the second half after only shooting 2-for-13 (.154) from beyond the arc in the first half. 

NEWARK, N.J. – North Carolina A&T and Howard University renewed their 110-game, 70-year old rivalry at the first-ever Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic hosted by celebrity actor Michael B. Jordan and housed at the Prudential Center in New Jersey. 

HU greeted its old buddies from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) with a hot-shooting second half that led to a 79-57 Bison win, Saturday evening. 

The two old rivals once competed for the MEAC tournament championship seven straight years (1982-88), with A&T winning all seven. But the last time the two teams played came on March 11, 2020. The Aggies won the quarterfinal MEAC tournament game in Norfolk, Va., over the Bison. But the next day the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the entire sports world, leaving the Aggies without an opportunity to seek another MEAC title. 

Once again, the pandemic worldwide is threatening to slow down the sports world again, with Hampton having to pull out of the Classic and be replaced by Delaware State in the first game of the Classic doubleheader against North Carolina Central because of COVID issues within the Pirates program. 

But that's where the similarities between today and the 2020 game cease. The Aggies shot 50 percent and out-rebounded the Bison by seven in their 86-77 win back in 2020. 

The Bison dominated the glass on Saturday, out-rebounding the Aggies 44-33. They used some of those rebounds to outscore the Aggies 19-11 in second-chance points. 

The Aggies never got into a good offensive comfort zone. 

"First and foremost, Howard played an unbelievable game with extreme energy," said A&T coach Will Jones. "They shared the basketball. They came on a mission to win the game. North Carolina A&T tonight did not play with energy. We could not control the rebound battle. We got destroyed on the glass, and we didn't play with any kind of rhythm. "

Neither team seemed to have any rhythm over the first 20 minutes of the game. Both teams shot less than 35 percent from the floor, and the Bison, one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the nation, was just 2-for-13 in the first half. 

A David Beatty (Philadelphia, Pa.) layup gave the Aggies a 30-29 lead with 2:08 remaining in the first half. A&T looked poised to take the lead into the locker room at half after only holding the lead for two minutes of the first half. 

But two Elijah Hawkins free throws with 43 seconds remaining gave the Bison a 31-30 halftime lead. 

It was all Bison the rest of the way. They opened the second half on a 16-4 run that led Jones to call a timeout four minutes into the second half as the Aggies trailed 47-34. Over the next eight minutes, the Aggies got no closer than 10, and when HU guard Kyle connected on his fourth 3-pointer of the night, the Bison lead ballooned to 21, 71-50 with 5:04 to play. 

In the second half, the Bison shot 58.6 percent, knocking down 8-for-12 (.667) from 3-point range. 

"When you don't play the right way, bad things happen," Jones. "We've got to go back, and we've got to fix it. We have to be more consistent. We haven't lost to a MEAC team in a long time, so for us to come here and not win, I'm a little disappointed at the result." 

From here, the Aggies will eventually start play in their new league, the Big South Conference. Meanwhile, Howard will return to MEAC play for the 51st straight season. Many hope these two old rivals meet again, whether it's in New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina or DC. 

QUOTABLE: "It's big. Any time you can get on national TV, TNT, you're in front of a national audience. Not everyone tunes in to ESPN at all times. But if you're flipping channels and see two HBCUs playing on TNT, that's going to stop a few people, and they're going to check it out. 

I think it was a great crowd. I thought the production was excellent, and the marketing was excellent. What they put into these games is big time and allows these guys to see what big-time looks like. I want to tip my hat to Legacy people for putting on this event and following through on everything."

Coach Jones on the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic 

GAME NOTES: 

• There was a dunk contest between the Delaware State/NCCU game and the A&T/Howard game at the Legacy Classic. The competition featured dunkers who were students from various schools. Anthony Hamilton, Jr., represented A&T. 
• Howard's win over A&T snapped A&T's four-game winning streak over the Bison. The Bison's last win came on Feb. 17, 2018. 
• A&T freshman golfer JR Smith provided commentary for both games of the Legacy Classic. Smith was a 16-year NBA veteran before becoming a 36-year old freshman at A&T. 
• The Aggies came into the game having won 14 of their 16 games against MEAC opponents. 
• Kameron Langley added five more assists to his career total. He now has 831 and needs three more to leapfrog UCLA's Pooh Richardson (1986-89) for 23rd all-time in NCAA history. 
• Only four players on the Aggies current roster had ever played a game against Howard University. Langley played the Bison for the sixth time in his career. 
• The Aggies came into Saturday's game shooting 44.8 percent in their last six ballgames before shooting just 35.9 percent against the Bison.