HAMPTON, Va. — Sophomore North Carolina A&T men's basketball point guard Camian Shell was exceptional Monday night from start to finish, which is no exaggeration.
Shell finished with a one-handed runner off the backboard and in the lane with 1.2 seconds remaining in the game to lead the Aggies to an 81-80 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) win over the Hampton Pirates at the Convocation Center.
The only two historically black universities in the CAA played live on CBS Sports Network to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday. The environment, the atmosphere, and the game served as a great way to honor an American icon and a man who taught us to let freedom ring. The game featured 11 ties and 10 lead changes. A&T led for 14 minutes and 55 seconds. Hampton led for 14 minutes and 50 seconds, and the two teams were tied for 10 minutes and 15 seconds. Shell finished with 19 points, eight assists and zero turnovers on 8-for-13 shooting from the floor.
"Our team showed so much resiliency tonight even though we were on the road tonight," said A&T head coach Monté Ross, who improved to 5-0 against Hampton head coach Edward Joyner, Jr., dating back to Ross's days as Delaware's head coach. "When they made a run, we made a run. We made a run; they made a run. So, I thought it was a helluva basketball game, and the only thing I can say is, I'm really glad we came out on top."
With the win, A&T is now one of nine teams in the CAA with a 2-2 conference record. The Aggies improved to 4-13 by shooting 50 percent from the floor, tying a season high. But the win did not come easy. Jerry Deng gave the Pirates a four-point lead, 73-69, with 3:15 remaining. But a Landon Glasper floater in the lane cut the lead to two before a Nikolaos Chitikoudis steal led to a deep 3-point make from Glasper that gave the Aggies a 74-73 and forced Hampton to call timeout with 2:15 to play.
Glasper finished with a game-high 24 points, with eight rebounds and two assists on 9-for-20 shooting from the floor and 5-for-11 shooting from 3-point range.
But following the timeout, Deng hit a contested three in front of the courtside seats at the Convocation Center to help Hampton recapture the lead at 76-74. Hampton had a chance to increase its lead, but Deng dribbled into trouble, leading to a Shell steal, which led to him racing down the court to tie the game with 1:19 remaining. But Hampton guard Jordan Nesbitt, who hit clutch shots all evening, got the rim again and scored to give Hampton a 78-76 lead.
But Glasper didn't seem bothered. He went to the top of the key, pulled from 25 feet out, and netted a three to give the Aggies a one-point lead with 34 seconds remaining. After a timeout, the Pirates put the ball back in Nesbitt's hands, and he hit a tough shot over Uchenna Kellman-Nicholes to give the Pirates a one-point advantage, 80-79.
Without hesitation, however, Shell went down the court and dribbled through some defenders with his left hand before switching to his right hand to pull up for the one-hand floater that eventually became the game-winning shot.
"Cam was magnificent tonight," said Ross. "In a game like this, fast-paced, up and down, I thought he played aggressively. So, to have no turnovers is fantastic. One of the things that we do is that if a team scores against us late-game and there are five seconds or more left on the clock, we are going to take it and go because that's when the other team is most susceptible to a quick layup. I thought his recognition of the game clock and that he had time to score was absolutely phenomenal."
Two other Aggies scored in double figures, including Chitikoudis, who finished with a career-high 15 points and added seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a blocked shot to his totals on 7-for-9 shooting. Kellman-Nicholes had 10 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Hampton had five players score in double figures, led by Deng and Nesbitt, who had 17 points apiece. Hampton dropped to 4-13 overall and 0-5 in league play. The Aggies return home for two games this week, facing Northeastern on Thursday and William & Mary on Saturday.
