Four Aggies score in double figures led by Rush’s 18

Box Score
GREENSBORO, December 5, 2006 – North Carolina A&T men’s basketball coach Jerry Eaves inserted Steven Rush at the 16:26 mark of the first half and watched as the junior guard coming off an injury helped the Aggies rout St. Andrews 92-58 at Corbett Sports Center on Tuesday.

Rush scored 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field after missing the Aggies previous two contests. Jason Wills added 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting and had four rebounds and tied a career-high with five assists. Trahern Chaplin and Austin Ewing had 12 points apiece as the Aggies, who are 3-0 at home, shot 50 percent or better for the third straight time in Corbett.

“We put in Steven around the four or five minute mark and started to knock down some shots and ignite our offense,’’ said Eaves. “That’s what he does for our team. He provides us with instant offense. You saw when the score was around 15-13, we started to pull away with his outside shooting and our pressure.”

Richard Stone gave the Knights their third and final lead of the night when he came off a screen and caught a Dwayne Jeffcoat pass for a 3-pointer and 15-13 Knights lead. Rush wasted no time in sprinting down the court, spotting up and hitting a 3-pointer of his own to help the Aggies take back the lead.

Keith Josey missed two free throws on the Knights next possession, and the Aggies responded with a James Porter layup and another Rush 3-pointer to take a 21-15 lead. Over the next seven minutes, the Knights turned the ball over seven times and the Aggies outscored them 16-2 to take 37-17 lead.

“Most teams are ready for the pressure we show the first 10 or 15 minutes of the game,’’ said Eaves. “And you expect that because teams prepare. But our pressure is designed to wear you down. We may not cause many turnovers early, but eventually we’re going to get some (turnovers).”

The Aggies went on to take a 41-22 lead at halftime and saw their second-half lead balloon to as many as 35 points. The Knights were led by leading scorer Taiwon Grooms’ 20 points and six rebounds. Marcus Hoke and Stone also scored in double figures with 11 and 10 points respectively.

The Aggies will be back in action on Dec. 15, when they travel to New Mexico to play at 3 p.m., Eastern. Their next home game is Jan. 6 against Maryland-Eastern Shore at 4 p.m.