A&T STATISTICAL LEADERS: G Demetric Horton (26 pts, 10-for-13 FGs, 4 rebs); F Marcus Watson (16 pts, 11 rebs, 9-for-10 FTs); G David Beatty (10 pts); F Justin Whatley (9 pts). 

PC STATISTICAL LEADERS: F Winston Hill (19 pts, 7-for-10 FGs, 6 rebs); G Trevon Reddish-Rhone (10 pts, 6 rebs, 5 assists); G Kobe Stewart (8 pts, 7 rebs).

WHY A&T GOT THE "W": Defense. The Aggies had possibly their best game on the defensive end. They played a tight zone and were communicated and rotated to combat anything Presbyterian College tried to do offensively, holding the Blue Hose to 19-for-56 (.339) shooting from the field. They also held PC guard Rayshon Harrison, who came into the game the third-best scorer in the Big South (17.1 ppg), to eight points on 1-for-12 shooting. 

WHY PC DIDN'T GET THE "W": The Blue Hose came into the game with sights set on shooting the perimeter shot. It did not work out well. After scoring the game's first 10 points with the help of going 2-for-4 from 3-point range. But over the next 37 minutes, the Blue Hose shot nothing but blanks. PC went 3-for-27 (.111) the rest of the way. The misses helped the Aggies outrebound the Blue Hose 28-21 in the second half. 

CRUCIAL: The Aggies came into the game down four players. Graduate guards Kameron Langley and Tyler Maye, sophomore guard Milton Matthews and freshman guard Kyle Duke did not play on Wednesday. A&T fell behind 10-0 to begin the game, and things appeared they could get ugly quickly. But, that's when guards Demetric Horton and David Beatty showed they could step in and fill the void for the foursome. The Aggies answered the Blue Hose opening run with a 16-0 of their own. Horton had six points during the run, including a 3-point play and a 3-pointer. Beatty had five points during the run, and for the game, as the Aggies point guard, he turned the ball over only twice in 38 minutes played.

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. – The North Carolina A&T men's basketball team entered the Big South Conference the same way they exited the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – winning at home – besting the Presbyterian College Blue Hose, 65-57, inside Corbett Sports Center, Wednesday night. 

The Aggies (6-9, 1-0 Big South) accomplished two things they have previously struggled with this year – they made more free throws and grabbed more rebounds than their opponent. A&T shot 20-for-29 (.690) from the line while Presbyterian (8-8, 0-1 Big South) went 14-for-21 (.667) and outrebounded the Blue Hose, 42-41. 

After Watson hit two free throws to send the Aggies into the locker tied with the Blue Hose at 29, the Aggies took their biggest lead of the game 47-39 with 10 minutes remaining in the game. PC cut the lead to four, 55-51, with 2:41 to play. A minute later, as the shot clock ticked toward zero, Horton drove the lane, nearly lost the basketball, but made a strong enough move to draw a foul from Trevon Reddish-Rhone. 

Horton capitalized by making one of two free throws to put A&T ahead five. With just under a minute remaining, Watson added another free throw to give the Aggies a six-point advantage. Watson then added to his excellent by making a play on the defensive end. He swatted Brandon Younger's layup, leading to two more Horton free throws to all but seal the game with 49 seconds remaining. 

A&T went 10-for-14 (.714) from the line over the game's final two minutes. 

The Aggies have now won 28 home conference games dating back to Feb. 27, 2017, thanks to a win in their first-ever Big South Conference game. 

 "We had to protect home court," said A&T coach Will Jones. "It means something to us, and the guys who played tonight laid it on the line. We're 1-0 in the Big South, short-handed; we showed some character tonight. It was a big win for us."  

QUOTABLE: "I told Dave, I mean, Dave's done this thing. He's been a point guard in the SEC; he's been a point guard in the Atlantic 10. He had an unbelievable week of practice; with his patience, you know, and his poise, he was able to get the job done for us. We put in a simple game plan, nothing complicated. Get the ball to the guys who can get the job done on offense and protect the rebounding battle." 

Coach Jones on David Beatty stepping in at point guard to fill a hole 

GAME NOTES: 

• Wednesday's win was not only A&T's first in the Big South but also their first against Presbyterian, as the Blue Hose had won the previous two all-time meetings. 
• A&T has won their first game of the New Year five seasons in a row. 
• This season, the Aggies are now 4-0 at home and 18-3 at #ClubCorbett under coach Jones. 
• In 498 games played historically at Corbett, the Aggies have won 305. 
• Watson's double-double is the second of his career. It is also his eighth career double-figure scoring game, tied with Beatty for most on the team.
• Demetric Horton's 26-point night was his second 20-plus point game of the season after scoring 24 against Samford on Nov. 26.
• The Aggies seven assists on Wednesday marked only the third time this season the Aggies have failed to record at least 10 assists in a game.