A&T STATISTICAL LEADERS: G Kameron Langley (13 pts, 5-for-7 FGs, 5 stls); F Justin Whatley (9 pts, 5 rebs, 3-for-4 FGs); G Demetric Horton (8 pts, 6 rebs, 6 assists); G David Beatty (7 rebs).
CHARLESTON SOUTHERN STATISTICAL LEADERS: G Claudell Harris, Jr. (13 pts); G Tahlik Chavez (13 pts); F Taje' Kelly (10 pts, 5 rebs); F Kalib Clinton (8 rebs)
WHY A&T GOT THE "W": No threes. The Aggies defended the three. During the Aggies five-game losing streak, they allowed 51 3-pointers, and opponents shot 45.1 percent from 3-point range. On Wednesday, the Charleston Southern only made 3 of 21 threes after coming into the game ranked 22nd nationally in 3-point field goal attempts.
WHY CHARLESTON SO. DIDN'T GET THE "W": The Buccaneers were not intentional with their care of the basketball, turning it over 23 times in the game. A&T took advantage by outscoring the Bucs 19-8 in points off turnovers. It was the most turnovers the Aggies have forced this season.
CRUCIAL: It was a two-point game, 51-49, with 2:50 left in the game after Taje' Kelly knocked down two free throws for the Bucs. On the very next possession, Demetric Horton found freshman forward Jaylen Jackson on a no-look pass for a dunk, igniting the crowd at #ClubCorbett and sparking a 9-0 run late in the game.
EAST GREENSBORO – Menacing defense and some timely offensive shooting led the North Carolina A&T Aggies to a 62-51 win over the Charleston Southern Buccaneers inside the Corbett Sports Center on Wednesday night.
The win was a welcomed sight for the Aggies (10-15, 5-6 Big South), who had previously dropped five straight while the loss drops Charleston So to 5-19 overall and 1-10 in conference play.
The Aggies largest second-half lead was 11. However, a 3-pointer by Claudelle Harris Jr. gave the Bucs a 45-44 lead with 6 ½ minutes to play. Graduate forward Justin Whatley helped the Aggies regain the lead battling his way into the post to score on a tough turnaround in the paint.
Two minutes later popped out and netted a 3-pointer off a pass from graduate guard David Beatty to give A&T a 51-46 lead with 3:59 to play. Charleston So scored the next three points before junior guard Demetric Horton made an unbelievable no-look pass to freshman forward Jaylen Jackson for a dunk that gave the Aggies a 53-49 lead with 2 ½ minutes remaining.
Kameron Langley then made a play on defense. He secured his fifth steal of the game, which eventually led to a David Beatty layup. After Langley and Beatty hit one free throw apiece, Horton completed the Aggies 9-0 run with a 3-pointer to give the Aggies a 60-49 lead with 28 seconds remaining. The Aggies put the exclamation point on the win when Jackson flew through the air to slam home an alley-oop lob from Horton.
"It's good to get a win," said A&T coach Will Jones. "I'm really excited about Jaylen Jackson and what he brought in the second half as a freshman with some bright spots there. But I just thought the guys battled."
On Wednesday, A&T got off to another slow start, scoring nine points in the first 10 ½ minutes, allowing the Bucs to claim a 17-9 lead early. However, the Aggies would get it going quickly, orchestrating an 11-2 run capped off by back-to-back 3-pointers from sophomore guard Milton Matthews to claim a 20-19 advantage.
Charleston So would reclaim the lead briefly after a bucket from Tahlik Chavez, but four points in the last couple of minutes from Langley willed the Aggies to a 26-23 lead at the intermission. The Aggies floor general had 10 first-half points with three steals.
"I thought the guys battled for forty minutes, and I thought Kam showed outstanding leadership today," said Jones. "He scored the basketball but also distributed it."
QUOTABLE: "Sometimes it can be hard to get off that adversity bus, but I thought we did that tonight and got a W, so I'm proud of the guys."
A&T Head Coach Will Jones on who stepped up in A&T's big win
GAME NOTES:
- In February, the Aggies are now 7-0 at home under coach Jones.
- 51 is a season-low in terms of points allowed for A&T.
- Jones moves to 2-0 against Charleston So and his former boss, Barclay Radebaugh. The Aggies move to 3-0 against the Bucs all-time.
- This game marks the 46th time Langley has scored in double-figures in his career.
- It was also Langley's 10th-career game with five-plus steals. The additional steals gives him 261 for his career. He ranks 123rd all-time in NCAA history.
- His six assists mark a new career-high for Horton. It is his fourth game with five-plus dimes.
- A&T has won 46 games inside Corbett Sports Center in the last five years.
- During their five-game losing streak, the Aggies only had more assists than their opponent once. On Wednesday, they had eight more assists (14-6) than Charleston So.
- The Aggies forced 23 Buc turnovers on Wednesday to mark the first time they have forced 20-plus turnovers since Greensboro College had 21 turnovers earlier this season on Nov. 18.
