Box Score

NCCU vs. NC A&T Box Score (PDF)

VIDEO: Eagles Postgame Report Presented by Tru-Pak Moving Systems (NC A&T)

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Trailing by four with 3:44 to go, the North Carolina Central University men’s basketball team went on an 8-0 spurt and used a costly Aggie intentional foul to sprint past the arch-rival Aggies of North Carolina A&T winning a hotly contested ballgame inside the hostile Corbett Sports Center 66-62 on Saturday afternoon in the MEAC opener for each squad.
 
In the 140th meeting between these two programs there were 16 times and 12 lead changes and it started from the tipoff with junior Jeremy Ingram (Charlotte, N.C.) drilling the first of his four three-pointers on the night. 
 
A Jay Copeland (Suffolk, Va.) put-back dunk put the Eagles up 5-2 but the Aggies answered right back with a 4-0 spurt to trail 7-6 with 15:57 remaining in the first frame.
 
Despite NC A&T shooting a dismal 2-for-14 (14.3%), the Aggies recorded 11 offensive rebounds and forced 10 Eagle turnovers to see the first frame go back-and-forth with nine ties and eight lead changes as the score was knotted up at 25 at the end of the first half.  On the other hand, NCCU wasn’t much better from the field shooting 9-for-25 (34.6 percent), but the maroon and gray outrebounded 22-to-21 led by Copeland’s seven boards in the first frame.
 
With 6:56 left in the frame, junior Stanton Kidd (Baltimore, Md.) provided the highlight of the day for Eagle fans on a beautiful pass from junior Emanuel Champan (Raleigh, N.C.) as Kidd rose up and dunked on A&T’s Jeremy Underwood sending the crowd of over 5,000 at the Corbett Sports Center into a chorus of “oohs” and “ahhs”.
 
The second half was literally a one-on-one showdown between NCCU’s Kidd (Baltimore, Md.) and senior forward for North Carolina A&T Adrian Powell as both were in single figures in the first half.  Copeland’s missed free throw with 18:17 remaining was the last shot NCCU missed as the Eagles went on to hit 16 consecutive shots from the charity stripe in the second half. 
 
A Ray Willis (Atlanta, Ga.) gave NCCU the lead at 33-27 with 16:35 remaining, but NC A&T answered right back outscoring the Eagles 17-10 over the next four  minutes to take their first lead of the second half at 44-43 with 12:03 left.  During that span, the Aggies drilled four of their seven second half three pointers in that portion of the contest to get the home crowd revved up.
 
These two squads went toe-to-toe over the next few minutes as Powell drilled a jumper to put the Aggies up 52-50, when Kidd’s dunk through the middle of the lane 34 seconds later tied that game up at 52-52.  On the following possession, Jean Louisme’s three-pointer put A&T up 55-52 and NCCU’s Willis answered with a layup to cut the deficit to one at 55-54 with 5:28 left.
 
The turning point in the ballgame happened after yet another Powell three-pointer putting the host Aggies up 58-54 with 3:44 left.  The four point lead was the largest of the day for A&T, but head coach LeVelle Moton’s squad did not panic.  On the ensuing possession, Willis was fouled making both free throws cut the margin to two at 58-56 3:28 left.  NC A&T’s Louisme missed a runner on the left side of the floor and the Eagles responded with an Ingram shot beyond-the-arc and a Willis three-point-play jolting NCCU on top 62-58 with 2:35 to go. 
 
Powell’s final three of the second half tied the game up for the final time at 62 with 1:25 to go and the Eagles came right back and scored the final four points of the game from the foul line thanks to a Lawrence Smith intentional foul, and two more Willis free throws  to hang on for the 66-62 victory.
 
The controversial play all happened because of a crucial Willis offensive rebound for NCCU on a three-pointer by Ingram that rolled in-and-out.  After Willis’s rebound and a 30-second timeout for the Eagles, Kidd was driving to the basket for a layup before Smith grabbed Kidd from behind earning the foul which gave the maroon and gray two shots and the ball.
 
NC A&T (3-6, 0-1 MEAC) was led by Powell who was an astonishing 5-for-7 from behind-the-arc to finish with a career-high 29 points in defeat as the senior was the lone Aggie to score in double figures.
 
NCCU (5-4, 1-0 MEAC) was led by Kidd who went a perfect 11-for-11 from the foul line in the second half finishing with 24 points and nine rebounds.  The Eagles were led by only four student-athletes who scored in the game as Willis scored 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting and was also 5-for-5 from the charity stripe, along with eight rebounds in the contest.  Ingram finished 4-for-5 from three-point range and ended up with 16 points.
 
The Eagles outscored the Aggies 24-for-14 in the paint, and had 18 second chance points along with a 39-32 rebounding advantage in the victory.
 
With the win, NCCU is now 4-1 against NC A&T since moving to the NCAA Division I level and 3-0 inside the Corbett Sports Center.  Junior point guard Chapman now sits alone in ninth in career assists with 271 as he passed former Eagle Michael Glasker (2007-2011) who amassed 268 helpers during his career.  Chapman needs just one more to tie James Tucker (99-00, 02-04) for eighth all-time.
 
Up next for the Eagles, the Colonels of Eastern Kentucky University who make the trip to the Bull City to battle NCCU on Tuesday, Dec. 4 at 7:00 p.m. from McDougald-McLendon Gym.  This will be the second meeting in the last two seasons between these two programs.
 
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