GREENSBORO – The North Carolina A&T men's basketball team keeps giving itself chances. It is one of the Aggies' defining traits this season. It didn't work out in the end Saturday afternoon at Corbett Sports Center, where the Aggies fell 69-59 to the College of Charleston Cougars.
A&T used just six players, which might have taken a toll after playing its previous game on the road less than 45 hours earlier.
"We've got to get some depth," A&T coach Monté Ross said. "These guys, we ask them to do a lot. They're doing a lot, and they're fighting their tails off every single night, so I have to be pleased with that."
The Aggies (5-22, 1-13 Coastal Athletic Association) were aiming for their first winning streak since November, but instead suffered their second loss to Charleston this month. But there was a competitive component that could be encouraging for A&T. Now, it might be a matter of some details.
"There were a lot of plays that we left out there on the court," Ross said. "We just weren't sharp for whatever reason."
Sophomore wing Jahnathan Lamothe, the only reserve used off the A&T bench, poured in a game-high 21 points and pulled in 10 rebounds. That scoring total was boosted by accounting for three of the Aggies' four 3-point baskets. Lamothe has led the Aggies in scoring in five consecutive games.
A&T's Nikolaos Chitikoudis finished 19 points on 9-for-14 shooting from the field and grabbed 11 boards. The last time two Aggies had a double-double in the same game came during the first game of this season when Will Felton and Camian Shell both posted double-doubles against Cheney on Nov. 4, 2024.
Deywilk Tavarez poured in 20 points off the bench and AJ Smith had 18 points for Charleston (20-7, 10-4), which remains a contender near the top of the CAA standings.
"Sometimes you run up against a buzzsaw or a pretty good team like College of Charleston is," Ross said. "They magnify the holes that you have."
The Aggies fell into an early hole but also produced one of the game's biggest highlight plays amid that stretch. Lamothe's steal in the A&T backcourt led to a transition opportunity, with Bryson Ogletree soaring in from the right side and dunking off Lamothe's pass. But unlike two days earlier in a one-point victory at Elon, the Aggies couldn't make a complete comeback in this one.
Charleston had too many answers, partly by getting 34 points from its bench. The Aggies had some notable numbers, like 14 assists on their 22 baskets and ending with a 37-32 rebounding advantage.
"We did some good things out there," Ross said.
The Cougars racked up a 40-29 lead by halftime. A&T got the pace down to more of their liking in the second half, holding Charleston to 29 points. But the Cougars shot 9-for-26 on 3-pointers.
"We got to play high-50s, low-60s," Ross said. "Again, I think we could have got to 65 if we had some conversions and made some free throws. They really shot the 3-ball well," Ross said. "Some guys that normally don't shoot it as well made a couple. As long as we're putting ourselves in a position to make stops."
Still, the Aggies hung around. They were within 57-47 on Chitikoudis' basket with less than eight minutes to play. They couldn't piece together a sustained rally even though Charleston had only one point in the final four minutes.
The Aggies meet Campbell on Thursday night at home and then take on Stony Brook at 2 p.m. Saturday in the home finale.
"We're playing probably the best ball we've been playing all year long, which is encouraging as we go down the stretch here," Ross said.
