Aggies Look For Road Redemption at UNC Asheville

The two teams will meet for the first time in 43 years.

Erin E. Mizelle

Marcus Watson led the Aggies with 17 points on 7-for-14 shooting at High Point University.

Men's Basketball | 1/19/2022 10:36:00 AM

North Carolina A&T at UNC Asheville
When: Wednesday, January 19, 2022, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Kimmel Arena (Asheville, N.C.)
Stream: ESPN +

A&T Team Leaders (minimum 1.5 shots per game for percentages)
Points: Marcus Watson (12.7)
Rebounds: Marcus Watson (6.0)
Assists: Kameron Langley (5.2)
Blocks: Harry Morrice (1.1)
Steals: Kameron Langley (1.6)
Field Goal Percentage: Webster Filmore (.534)
3-point Field Goal Percentage: Demetric Horton (.385)
Free Throw Percentage: Tyler Maye (.759)

A&T Big South Leaders (Top-10)
Rebounds: Marcus Watson (6.1) – T7th
Assists: Kameron Langley (5.2) – 1st
Blocks: Harry Morrice (1.1) – 6th
Steals: Kameron Langley (1.6) – 6th
Free Throw Percentage: Marcus Watson (.700) – 6th
3-point Field Goals Made: Demetic Horton (2.1) – 8th
Assist/Turnover Ratio: Kameron Langley (2.2) – 3rd
Offensive Rebounds: Webster Filmore (2.5) – 1st; Tyler Maye (2.2) – 5th
Defensive Rebounds: Marcus Watson (4.7) –T4th

A&T National Leaders (Top-100)
Assists: Kameron Langley (5.2) – 33rd
Total Assists: Kameron Langley (89) – 24th
Assists/Turnover Ratio: Kameron Langley (2.2) – 75th

NORTH CAROLINA A&T AGGIES (8-10, 3-1 BIG SOUTH): North Carolina A&T made an impressive comeback Saturday night at High Point University, cutting a 16-point second-half deficit to two with 90 seconds remaining. A breakaway dunk and two free throws helped HPU hold on for the 78-71 win. The loss snapped A&T's four-game winning streak as the Aggies sustained their first-ever Big South Conference loss.

The Aggies return to the road to face UNC Asheville. The Aggies have shot the ball well on the road thus far in the Big South. They are shooting .491 in two Big South road games.

The Aggies will try to return to their defensive ways against the Bulldogs. In conference play only, the Aggies have the best 3-point field goal defense in the conference (.260), the second-best field goal percentage (.404) and the third-best scoring defense (66.5). But the HPU Panthers were able to shoot .509 against the Aggies last Saturday thanks to transition baskets. A&T will also try to avoid the free throw discrepancy on the road. HPU attempted 11 more free throws than the Aggies and made nine more.

Head coach Will Jones is in his third season and second full season as the Aggies head coach. He took over on an interim basis on December 24, 2019. Jones is 22-6 (.786) against conference opponents, and he is 33-26 (.559) overall as the Aggies headman. Last season, Jones led the Aggies to their first regular-season title in 31 years, and in 2020 he was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) coach of the year.

UNC ASHEVILLE BULLDOGS (10-7, 2-2 BIG SOUTH): The Bulldogs are trying to get back on the winning track after starting Big South play 2-0. But they have lost their last two games. UNCA lost in overtime, 86-80, at Winthrop, and they had a 76-73 loss to USC Upstate at home. Drew Pember, a 6-foot-10 forward out of Knoxville, Tenn., comes into the game against the Aggies have scored 20 or more points in three straight games. Pember is averaging 20.8 points and 7.5 rebounds on 28-for-47 (.596) shooting in four conference games.

Pember leads the Bulldogs in scoring (13.2 ppg) and rebounding (6.2 rpg). Pember is also shooting .484 from the floor and .852 from the line. Six-foot, 5-inch guard Tajion Jones is the second-leading scorer at 12.8 points per game. Six-foot, 5-inch forward LJ Thorpe is also averaging in double figures at 11.6 points per game.

UNCA is also one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the Big South. The Bulldogs' 159 made threes are the most in the conference. Five different players have connected on 15 or more threes led by Jones' 41.

Mike Morrell enters his fourth season with the Bulldogs. After serving as an assistant coach with the University of Texas, Morrell became UNCA's head coach on April 11, 2018. Morrell's most impactful win may have come last season when they defeated previously unbeaten Winthrop, ending the Eagles 21-game winning streak. He is 39-60 overall and 21-31 against conference opponents at UNCA.

THE SERIES: The two teams have met only twice previously. The Aggies won 110-74 in 1969. Then, on December 3, 1978, the Aggies played their first-ever game in Corbett Sports Center. It was an 80-69 win over UNC Asheville.

QUOTABLES: "I'm not worried about us competing in the Big South. I'm worried about having the same 1-0 mindset every time we play. We can't get ahead of ourselves; we can't start feeling too good about ourselves because everybody in this league is trying to fight. Every game is a one to two to four-point game.

Head coach Will Jones on playing in the Big South

GAME NOTES:

In conference play, the Aggies have proven to be a solid offensive rebounding team. In four games, they have secured 57 offensive rebounds.
They have 160 total rebounds in conference play, which is more than any other team in the league. They also have a plus-3.5 rebounding margin, tied for second-best in conference games only.
UNC Asheville will be the Aggies seventh in-state opponent this season. The Aggies are 2-4 in the previous six contests.
Guard Demetric Horton grabbed a season-high nine rebounds last week against HPU.
Graduate guard Kameron Langley has 846 career assists to rank 21st on the all-time NCAA list. He needs 10 more to move into the top-20 all-time.
The Bulldogs have one player from Greensboro in 6-7 forward Silas Mason, who attended Ben L. Smith High School.
The Aggies have forced 276 turnovers this season. Only Presbyterian (285) has forced more within the Big South.