Aggies hit a season-low three 3-pointers

 Box Score
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., January 13, 2007 – North Carolina A&T has had the great fortune of being able to hit the big shot this season. On Saturday, not many shots at all fell for the Aggies. North Carolina A&T shot a season-low 25.5 percent from the floor as their three-game winning streak came to an end with a 57-52 loss to Bethune-Cookman.

 Jason Wills led the Aggies with 18 points and seven rebounds. Wills was the only Aggie to reach double figures. The Wildcats had balance scoring led by Josh Cummings nine points, while John Anderson had 12 rebounds.  

 “Give Bethune-Cookman credit,’’ said N.C. A&T coach Jerry Eaves. “They played us aggressive, we got away from what we do and it cost us on the offensive end. This is a good lesson for my team, when you get away from what you do, it will hurt you.”

 The Aggies (6-10, 2-2), one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the nation, struggled from the arc for the second straight game. On Monday against Howard, the Aggies made few mistakes in their half-court set to overcome their shooting woes, while hitting their 2-point shots. They made very few mistakes again on Saturday, turning the ball over just 10 times, but not even the layups would fall.

 N.C. A&T led most of the first half for the first five minutes of the second half. The Aggies led by as many as 12 in the first half, but Jimmy Hudson’s 3-pointer gave the Wildcats their first lead since the 12:56 mark of the first half.  From there the Aggies went uncharacteristically cold from the field.

 After Trahern Chaplin’s 3-point play put the Aggies back in front by two, 39-37. The Aggies went just 2-for-15 from the field over the next 9 ½ minutes of the game and the Wildcats were able to build a 52-44 lead.

 After a Wills free throw, Cummings hit two free throws to put the Wildcats up by nine. But the Aggies did not fold. Wills hit a short jumper in the lane to cut the lead to seven. Steven Rush followed that with a floater in the lane to move the Aggies to within five, 54-49 with 1:43 to play.

 Drives to the basket would earn Wills two separate trips to the line. He hit three out of the four free throws to move the Aggies to within three at 55-52 with 1:07 to play.

 But the Aggies would go cold again, not able to tie the game as the Wildcats used free throws to ice the game.

 The Aggies will try to regroup as they play Florida A&M on Monday night at 7:30 at Gaither Gymnasium.