INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Waiting for North Carolina A&T junior men's basketball player Trent Middleton, Jr. to shoot and complete his 3-point play with 4.2 seconds remaining in the game was gut-wrenching for Aggie fans on Friday night.

Watching Hampton point guard Jalyke Gaines-Wyatt's floater at the buzzer roll around the rim in what seemed like forever before the ball finally harmlessly rimmed out and fell to the floor was downright cruel for a fanbase and a program defeated on two buzzer-beaters this season.

Perhaps that's why jubilation broke out throughout the Kia Forum when A&T's 71-70 win over the Hampton Pirates in the Fifth Annual NBA HBCU Classic hosted during NBA All-Star Week became official after Gaines-Wyatt's game-winning attempt failed.

The win gave A&T its lick back against Hampton in the 74th meeting between the two longtime HBCU rivals. Hampton won the earlier matchup in Hampton, Va., on January 19, 82-61. Plus, Friday's game, lest we forget, was a Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) conference game, as the Aggies improved to 10-14 overall and 3-10 in league play.

In addition, the win also proved the basketball gods are not done with A&T yet.

"This is a team that lost on back-to-back buzzer beaters," said A&T head coach Monté Ross, referring to A&T's losses at Monmouth and at Drexel in late January. "I've never had that happen in my 31 years of coaching. I've never had that happen in my life. So, when that shot went up, the way it was spinning, I thought it was going to go in. And I was really elated when it didn't go in because the resiliency these guys have shown all season long needed to be rewarded."

After an Aggies timeout with 17 seconds remaining in the game, Middleton remained patient during the possession, directing traffic until he got the matchup he wanted with 7-foot Hampton center Josh Ogundele trying to guard the shifty point guard one-on-one out on the perimeter.

Middleton took advantage of the mismatch, drove the ball to the basket, made an acrobatic layup, and was fouled by Ogundele. Middleton nailed the clutch free throw, leading to A&T's win after Gaines-Wyatt's miss at the buzzer.

"Coach drew up a play in the timeout. We were trying to get (redshirt freshman Lewis Walker) the ball," said Middleton, who had 15 points, three assists and three steals on 6-for-7 shooting from the foul line. "I saw they were denying him, so I wanted to make a good play for my teammates."

Walker led A&T with 18 points on 5-for-9 shooting. Xavier Long and Gaines-Wyatt had 17 points apiece for Hampton.

Amongst the glitz and glamour of playing in a historic arena that witnessed many thrilling NBA victories from the 80's Showtime Los Angeles Lakers, the Aggies' resolve got tested in an electrified atmosphere that sparked all night. When Hampton's Elijah Kennedy netted a 3-pointer from the corner with the shot clock running down, the Pirates took hold of a 67-60 advantage with 1:52 remaining in the game. Redshirt sophomore center Will Felton responded by following his miss to cut the Pirates' lead to five. After Gaines-Wyatt made one of two free throws, the fun started.

A&T sophomore Zamoku Weluche-Ume's missed 3-pointer led to a Pirates possession. As Gaines-Wyatt tried to dribble through the A&T defense, Middleton reached in and stripped Gaines-Wyatt of the basketball. He then passed it ahead to junior Mujahiid Burton, who found junior Bryson Ogletree open downcourt for an uncontested dunk. Seconds later, Burton made a crucial hustle play.  

Under immense A&T full-court pressure, Gaines-Wyatt turned the ball over again, giving Middleton another steal. But Middleton's pass went over Burton's head and appeared to be headed out of bounds in the corner. Burton ran down the loose ball and tossed it in the air. The ball landed in the hands of Walker. Daniel Johnson fouled Walker as he dribbled his way to the basket. Walker made both free throws to cut Hampton's lead to 68-66 with 43 seconds remaining.

"If Mujahiid doesn't make that play, then there is probably a different result to the game," said Ross. "Everybody made big plays out there, and that's what you need to win basketball games."

More A&T full-court pressure led to Walker intercepting Gaines-Wyatt's pass. Walker got fouled again, sending him to the line where he made two more free throws to tie the game 68-68. It marked the game's first. That quickly changed when Middleton tried to make Gaines-Wyatt turn the ball over again.

Instead, his aggression drew a foul, and Gaines-Wyatt gave Hampton the lead back at 70-68 with 25 seconds remaining on two made free throws. But Middleton would deliver the decisive blow in his point guard matchup against Gaines-Wyatt, with the game-tying layup and the game-winning free throw.

"I really challenged Trent during the under (four-minute media timeout) because he's a Philly guard like I was," said Ross. "He grew up in Philly playing on the playgrounds, and I loved his response. His response is one that I really appreciated. It allows me now to coach hard for the rest of the year."

A&T will return to the East Coast, where they will take six days away from competition before facing the College of Charleston Cougars Thursday, February 19, at 7 p.m. from Corbett Sports Center.