Aggies shooting less than 40 percent over their last two games

Box Score
GREENSBORO, March 3, 2008 – What seemed like a lock during a six-game winning streak between mid-January and early February is very much in doubt as the North Carolina A&T men’s basketball team heads into its final regular-season game this Thursday.

The Aggies lost for the third time in four games with a 71-55 loss to Hampton Monday night from the HU Convocation Center and now must fight to get one of the coveted top five seeds heading into the MEAC Tournament next week. Jason Wills led the Aggies with 18 points and seven rebounds on 6-for-11 shooting, but the as a team the Aggies are shooting just a combined 39.8 percent from the field over their last two games.

The poor shooting has put the Aggies in a situation where they must beat Norfolk State on Thursday to secure the fifth the seed. An Aggies loss coupled with a Florida A&M win over Bethune-Cookman on Thursday gives the Rattlers the fifth seed and drops the Aggies into play-in game scenario where they would have to win four games instead of three to win the MEAC Tournament.

If both teams end in a tie, the Aggies own the tiebreaker. The Aggies are also okay in case of three-way tie because they own victories over Florida A&M and Coppin State, and they swept S.C. State.

“We’re going to have to play smarter,’’ said head coach Jerry Eaves. “We’re making mistakes we shouldn’t be making in March. We have to get it together because we’re not playing. You get it together by coming together as a team.”

Eaves pointed to the Aggies 26 turnovers on Monday as evidence of his team not playing smart basketball. His team played to a slow pace with Pirates and took only 21 shots in the first half as Hampton led 26-20. But the Pirates heated up in the second half while the Aggies remained frigid from the floor.

A Michael Freeman jumper gave the Pirates a 52-37 lead with 8:50 remaining. But in one of the Aggies offensive flurries of the night, Austin Ewing hit a pull up jumper and then nailed a 3-pointer to cut the Pirates lead to 10. Two Wills free throws put the Aggies down by eight, 52-44, with 6:53 to play. But with a chance to cut further into the Pirates the Aggies turned the ball over.

Two Hampton free throws and a Vincent Simpson three put the Pirates lead back into the teens, 57-44 with 6:07 remaining. The Aggies never got any closer than 11 the rest of the night.

“We tried but we just didn’t put in a good effort tonight,’’ said Eaves. “Thursday is a big game for us. If we get a win we can into the tournament on an up swing. We have to win and Norfolk State is not going to give it to us.”