LAS VEGAS – Junior Marcus Watson made up for an uncharacteristically low-scoring performance on Tuesday at Houston to lead North Carolina A&T men's basketball to a 67-66 overtime win over the Texas Southern University Tigers Saturday at the Chris Paul Boost Mobile HBCU Challenge at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
After scoring three points and fouling out with 9:48 remaining against the fifth-ranked Houston Cougars on Tuesday, Watson scored 24 against TSU, including six in overtime, where he continually hit clutch shots to lift the Aggies. Watson added 13 rebounds to secure his third career double-double.
"Marcus Watson came in and hit big shot after big shot today," said A&T interim head coach Phillip Shumpert. "That's a testament to his growth and character as a player. The other night he didn't have a great game against Houston, but he bounced back tonight and had an outstanding game against Texas Southern."
A&T held a 52-45 lead with 5 ½ minutes remaining in regulation. But the Aggies struggled to score down the stretch as the Tigers tied the game at 52 over the next three minutes. TSU's PJ Henry then connected on a 3-pointer with 1:17 to play to give the Tigers their first lead since the 16:56 mark of the second half.
But then Marcus Watson happened. Watson found a sweet spot on the floor from the wing and punished the Tigers there. His three with 45 seconds remaining tied the game at 55 before TSU's Johnny Walker III drove to the basket to help the Tigers recapture the lead.
Watson tried to win the game with a three but missed. Senior Demetric Horton grabbed the offensive rebound but had the ball knocked out of his hand and out of bounds with four seconds remaining. After an A&T called timeout, senior Austin Johnson flashed to the basket, took the in-bound pass, and was fouled on his layup attempt.
Johnson went to the free throw line and swished both to tie the game at 57, sending it into overtime.
"Austin Johnson hit two big free throws to send us into overtime to give us an opportunity to win the basketball game in overtime," said Johnson. "I applaud the guys for the job that they did. Those guys are learning how to fight mentally and physically, which will help us as we go into the conference."
TSU scored the first five points in overtime before Watson showed up again. He netted another three from his favorite spot to cut the Tigers lead to 62-60 with 3:19 remaining in OT. Two Horton free throws tied the game at 62 before Davon Barnes drove to the basket to reclaim the lead for the Tigers at 64-62.
But another Watson three gave the Aggies lead for good after Walker III missed two free throws for TSU. However, Aggies point guard Kam Woods did connect on two free throws to give the Aggies a 67-64 lead with 1:04 to play.
PJ got the Tigers to within one on with a short jumper in the paint with 38 seconds remaining to make it a 67-66 game. The Tigers had a chance to win the game, but Henry missed his jump shot, and Aggies forward Webster Filmore grabbed the rebound at the buzzer.
The Aggies will face former Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) foe Norfolk State on Sunday at 2 p.m., during the final day of the HBCU Challenge.
"Norfolk's our former MEAC rival and coach (Robert) Jones and his staff are doing a tremendous job with their program," said Shumpert. "It will probably be another tough fight tomorrow, and hopefully, we'll come out on top again."
Kam Woods added 18 points and six rebounds for the Aggies, and Horton posted 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Joird Nicholas led the Tigers with 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting.
