Box Score         Postgame Quotes          Postgame Notes

GREENSBORO, January 14, 2008 -- Whether the player is Steven Rush who grew up around N.C. A&T, walked on his first year and produced a first-team All-MEAC effort in 2006-2007. Or Jason Wills who signed six months prior to his freshman season or even Angelo Hernandez who walked on from the intramural team. The North Carolina A&T men’s basketball team is full of what head coach Jerry Eaves calls “steals.”

Another one of those steals emerged Monday night to help the Aggies win their first conference game of the season. Freshman center Thomas Coleman had a school-record nine blocks – with most of them coming in crunch time – and he added 11 rebounds to lift the Aggies to a 59-56 win over Coppin State at Irvin-Corbett.

Coleman broke Kenny Cox’s record of eight blocks set in 1987. “We found out about him in December,’’ Eaves said of Coleman. Coleman's nine blocks are the most by a freshman in the nation this season.

Coleman is from Eaves’ hometown of Louisville, Ky. “(Assistant coach Alphonza Kee) went to go see him play and told me he was just awesome,’’ Eaves continued. “He told me if we get him we’ve got a center to hold on to. From there I started calling people I knew. He came over the spring. He signed and he’s just a tremendous steal for our program.”

Hernandez had another outstanding game off the bench for the Aggies with 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting. Austin Ewing and Rush added 11 apiece with Rush hitting some big shots down the stretch to lead N.C. A&T (6-9, 1-2) to the win.  But it was Coleman who changed complexity of the game by becoming a disruptive force in the middle for the Aggies. Even when he wasn’t swatting Eagle shots, he would alter shots to the point where the Eagles found it difficult to score in crunch time.

The Aggies trailed 48-38 with 10 ½ minutes remaining in the game. Coleman, who played only three minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, sparked an Aggies run when he started an Aggies fastbreak with a block of Robert Pressley layup. The ball landed in the hands of Wills who found Ed Jones in transition for a layup.

On the Eagles’ next possession, Pressley was Coleman’s victim again. This time the ricochet went to Rush who found Jones going to the basket again for another easy layup. After Coppin State’s Vince Goldberry’s jump shot gave the Eagles a 50-42 lead, Rush hit his first 3-pointer in almost 93 minutes of action to pull the Aggies to within five.

The two teams would exchange baskets before Rush launched another three, this one from the deep corner that connected to cut the Eagles lead to 52-50 with 5:33 to play. Rush then assured the Irvin-Corbett Court crowd of 4,709 would remain raucous with another three that gave the Aggies a 53-52 lead 5:03 remaining. It was the Aggies first lead since the 1:49 mark of the first half.

The teams would swap the lead over the next over the next three minutes until another Coleman block started another Aggies fastbreak, this time with Hernandez finishing to give the Aggies a 55-54 lead. On the Aggies next possession, Rush whipped a pass to Hernandez, who pulled up for a baseline jumper to give the Aggies a 57-54 lead.

“It was a team effort tonight,’’ said Eaves. “Steve picked us with his threes. Thomas did a great job, but we’ve got to get out of the “I” thing. It was not “I” but “we.” It was a great team effort by “we.” This was our best effort all year.”

After two Tywain McKee free throws moved the Eagles to within one, A’Daeron Duncan made a crucial mistake by fouling Ewing. Ewing stepped to the line and knocked down two free throws to give the Aggies 3-point lead with 21 seconds remaining. Coleman would then seal the win with another block that prevented Goldberry from scoring.

“(Thomas) played great,’’ said Rush, who added that Coleman has never blocked his shot in practice. Coleman disagreed.

“He’s been playing great all year,’’ Rush added. “For a freshman to come into a system like this, which is not easy to pick up, and play the way he has says something. He has definitely been a lift for us. He’s been all over the boards and blocking shots all year, and he really came up big tonight.”

The Aggies go on the road to face Maryland-Eastern Shore 4 p.m., Saturday in Princess Anne, Md.