ELON, NC – North Carolina A&T made two changes to its starting lineup and then went to work on dominating the Elon Phoenix throughout Saturday night's Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) men's basketball contest at the Schar Center.
When the Aggies completed the work, they earned a 102-82 win over their Piedmont Triad rival. The dominance included the Aggies making their final 11 field-goal attempts. Saturday marked the most lopsided win for either team in the 21-game history of the series as the Aggies improved to 11-15 overall and 4-11 in conference play. Elon dropped to 14-14 overall and 6-9 in league play.
A&T's 100-plus point outburst was its first against a Division I opponent since posting 106 in a loss at Savannah State on February 12, 2018. The last time A&T scored 100 points against a Division I squad in regulation and won came on February 12, 2000, when the Aggies defeated Howard University 106-72 at Corbett Sports Center.
Redshirt sophomore center
Will Felton and junior guard
Mujahiid Burton both made their respective first starts of the season on Saturday, joining routine starters in junior guard
Trent Middleton, Jr., sophomore forward
Zamoku Weluche-Ume, and redshirt freshman guard
Lewis Walker. The combination worked beautifully on Saturday night.
All five men scored in double figures, led by Walker and Middleton, who scored 24 points apiece. Middleton's 24 is a career high, and he flirted with a triple-double, adding a career-high eight assists along with seven rebounds. He shot 10-for-13 from the field. Walker was 7-for-11 from the field and made all 10 of his free throw attempts.
Meanwhile, Burton played the role of sharpshooter, knocking down four 3-pointers on his way to 17 points. In two games against the Phoenix this season, Burton has scored 36 points on 13-for-24 shooting (.542) from the field and 9-for-18 (.500) shooting from 3-point range. Felton added 10 points and Weluche-Ume closed with his seventh double-double of the season, posting 19 points and 10 rebounds. Burton, Middleton and Walker all played 40 minutes.
A&T head coach Monté Ross said Saturday was the first time in his 13-season head coaching career that he has coached a team that reached 100 points in regulation.
"I thought the guys were intentional about driving the ball and making shots," said Ross. "I thought the way we moved the ball and made the extra pass was just phenomenal. I'm really proud of these guys."
A&T looked good early, jumping out to a 9-2 lead before Elon rallied to take a 16-15 lead on a Bryson Cokley 3-pointer 6 ½ minutes into the game. It was truly all A&T from there as the Aggies put together a 9-0 run capped off by a Walker layup to take a 24-16 lead. The Aggies increased their lead to double figures on a Weluche-Ume and-1 that put the Aggies ahead 32-21 with 8 ½ minutes remaining in the first half.
A&T's lead grew to as many as 15 in the first half, 51-36, before taking a 53-41 lead into halftime. The 53 points marked the first time the Aggies have scored 50-plus first-half points against a CAA opponent since joining the conference in 2022. Elon got the lead to within six over the first 4 ½ minutes of the half at 62-56. But six straight A&T points that included two Walker free throws and a step-back baseline jumper from Walker pushed the Aggies' lead to 12.
Demarco Johnson's 3-pointer got Elon to within single digits again. It was the closest the Phoenix would get the remainder of the evening as graduate center
KJ Debrick responded for A&T by connecting on only his second 3-pointer of the season to put A&T up by double figures for good with 11:08 remaining.
"Man, these guys, you know what, they have their idiosyncrasies and you have to live with it, and I have learned to," said Ross. "But the one thing they do, when they step between the lines, they're going to rumble for 40 minutes, and that's what I appreciate."
A&T's next challenge comes Thursday when they travel to Wilmington, NC, to face the No. 1 team in the CAA, the UNC Wilmington Seahawks. The tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
