Aggies win in Coppin Center for the first time in eight years

Box Score
BALTIMORE, January 20, 2007 – North Carolina A&T head coach Jerry Eaves was forced to do something he hates, but it led to his team doing something he loves to see – win.

Once again, the Aggies received key contributions from his role players as they defeated Coppin State in the Coppin Center, 69-60. Steven Rush led the Aggies with 20 points on 5-for-10 shooting from 3-point range as the Aggies defeated the Eagles in the Coppin Center for the first time in eight years. The Aggies (8-10, 4-2) have also won two straight on the road for the first time five seasons.

Junior guard Glenn Nelson added 10 points off the bench, including some 3-pointers down to halt Eagle runs. Jason Wills added 14 points and seven rebounds.

“When you come down here and beat a (Ron “Fang” Mitchell) team you’ve done something,’’ said Eaves about the veteran Coppin State coach. “This is a delightful win for my team considering I had to go away from what I wanted to do.”

Eaves likes to play though man-to-man defense and he will even press in the half-court. But trailing by 14 over the first seven minutes of the second half, and having only totaled only one field in the second half up until that point, Mitchell’s team started executing the pick-and-roll.

When Antwan Harrison rolled his way into the lane for a layup with 5:35 remaining in the game, the Aggies lead had been cut to 55-52. Rush answered with a driving layup, and what looked like a busted play turned into Walter Booth recovering a loose ball and dishing it to Wills for a 59-52 lead with 2:28 to play. A Rush 3-pointer and four Austin Ewing free throws completed the Aggies 11-0 run. It would be all the Aggies needed as they switched defense on the Eagles.

N.C. A&T started playing off the Eagles at times, changing up defenses to give the Eagles different looks.

“Fang forced me to do something I haven’t done all year,’’ said Eaves. “He dictated the way we played defense with the pick-and-roll. His kids run it very well. I hate changing the way I want to play, but they started hitting shots.”

Robert Pressey led the Eagles with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Tywain McKee added 14, while Ewing chipped in 12 for the Aggies. The Aggies travel down the road on Monday to play Morgan State at 7:30 p.m., on Monday.