EAST GREENSBORO – The North Carolina A&T men's basketball team stayed undefeated at home, besting Mid-Atlantic Christian University (MACU), 88-63, inside Corbett Sports Center on Tuesday evening in the final non-conference game before the start of Big South Conference play.
The Aggies won their eighth straight at home and moved to 3-0 this season.
It was a slower start than expected in the first half. The teams started a combined 0-for-12 from the field, with just a single free throw from junior forward Jeremy Robinson being the difference. Junior guard Demetric Horton drove through the lane for a layup and scored the game's first field goal.
Back-to-back 3-pointers put the Mustangs (2-6) out in front briefly, but four more points from Robinson allowed the Aggies to reclaim the lead, 7-6. Sophomore guard Milton Matthews (District Heights, Md.) checked into the game following that sequence and quickly knocked down a 3-pointer. Matthews' three was a part of a 16-3 run, which included a streak of 11 straight points from A&T as they claimed a 23-9 with 8:42 remaining in the first half.
Matthews scored 10 points during the spurt, and A&T forced three turnovers. Matthews finished the night with a career-high 19 points on 5-for-7 shooting from 3-point range. He also added seven rebounds.
However, Mustang guard Kevin Fletcher started to heat up as the first half ended, scoring eight points and enabling his team to close the gap to single-digits, 39-31, at intermission.
The Aggies (5-9) uncharacteristically turned the ball over 11 times in the first 20 minutes. A&T did shoot 51.6 percent from the floor, but the Aggies mishaps helped the Mustangs stay in the game despite shooting 32.4 percent in the first half.
The Aggies did as expected in the second half, however. They put the Mustangs away. They opened half No. 2 on a 19-1 run over the first 6 ½ minutes, fueled by 10 from freshman Jaylen Jackson (Atlanta, Ga.). In his first collegiate action, the forward posted a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds on 7-for-10 shooting from the field. Twelve rebounds are the most by an Aggie this season.
When sophomore forward Marcus Watson (Buford, Ga.) hit a jump shot in the lane at the 9:53 mark, the Aggies had taken command with a 70-34 lead.
Watson scored 13 points, and graduate forward Collin Smith (Jacksonville, Fla.) added 10. Graduate guard Kameron Langley (High Point, N.C.) led the team with six assists. He has 837 for his career to rank 23rd all-time in NCAA history.
A&T now has a significant break from competition before their next game, Jan. 5 in their Big South debut against Presbyterian College at the Corbett Sports Center.
"We're going to go back into kind of a camp format," said coach Will Jones. "It's back to the basics. We're going to shore some things up, and then as we kind of get closer, some scrimmaging, some up-and-down stuff, but we'll kind of get back to the basics after Christmas. We'll get the guys in shape, blend the group that will be here."
Jones added that freshman Duncan Powell would probably be in that group because he will have the medical equipment necessary to keep him healthy. Powell, the most highly-rated recruit in school history, has yet to play this season.
