DURHAM, NC – Two of the most influential HBCUs in American history, North Carolina A&T State University and Howard University, met for the 104th time on the basketball court as men's basketball foes on Tuesday, and, as is typical for both institutions, the game brought about nostalgia and history.
In the end, Howard Bison held off a gallant comeback from the Aggies to win 73-69, beating A&T for the second straight time on a neutral floor after winning at the Michael B. Jordan HBCU Classic in Newark, NJ, in 2021.
The two teams decided to play at a neutral site because they could not agree on where the game should be played. The two head coaches, Howard's Kenneth Blakeney and A&T's Monté Ross, decided to play at Cameron after Blakeney suggested it, having played men's basketball at Duke from 1997-01.
That brought back nostalgia of the game because the two teams battled for the first-ever Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) tournament title at Cameron in 1972, when the Aggies were victorious. The Aggies beat the Bison again in 1973 inside Cameron.
"It's a rich history, and we are happy to be a part of it," said Ross. "I wish we could have had a different outcome, obviously, but I do understand and realize the rich history, and I am fond of the rivalry, and hopefully we can continue playing this game."
A&T is 9-1 against Howard in MEAC championship games, including the two in Cameron. However, the game in Cameron on Tuesday night was controlled by Howard in the first half. The Bison took a 39-22 lead on a Cam Gillus 3-pointer with four minutes remaining in the first half.
Putbacks from fifth-year senior KJ Debrick and sophomore Zamoku Weluche-Ume and two free throws from junior Trent Middleton, Jr. helped the Aggies score the final six points of the first half to go into the locker room trailing 41-30.
"It was a tremendous atmosphere in here tonight," said Ross. "Unfortunately, we didn't play well enough in the first half. We dug ourselves a hole, and we weren't able to climb out of it. I thought we were a little scattered in the first half, but credit Howard because they caused it."
A&T started making the climb out of the hole in the second half, but with each run, the Bison pushed the Aggies away, preventing the Aggies from ever taking the lead. The Aggies made their final attempt with 8 ½ minutes remaining. Reigning Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Rookie of the Week Lewis Walker made a power move to the basket, scored, and was fouled. Walker completed the 3-point play to bring the Aggies to within three at 56-53.
After a Gillus layup, Walker came off a screen at the top of the key and netted a three to cut Howard's lead to two. Howard built its lead back to five, 65-60, on a Gillus layup with 2:49 to play. Middleton answered by pulling up for a deep 3-pointer with the shot clock running down to cut Howard's lead to two with 2:15 remaining.
A minute later, the Aggies had a chance to tie or take the lead, but Weluche-Ume lost the ball. That led Gillus to race to the other end for a layup. As he reached the bucket, Middleton reached out for him and was called for a foul.
After a video review, officials upgraded the call to a flagrant one foul, giving the Bison two free throws and the ball. Gillus made both free throws to give Howard a four-point lead. Another Aggies turnover on the mishandling of the ball by Middleton sealed the win for the Bison, who improved to 6-5 on the year behind 19 points and 10 rebounds from Bryce Harris.
Middleton led the way for A&T, finishing with a career-high 18 points to go along with six rebounds. Walker added 15 points as the Aggies fell to 4-4 overall, but will get another HBCU on Friday when they host the University of Maryland Eastern Shore at Corbett Sports Center at 4 p.m.
