Aggies shoot a season-low 25.4 percent

Box Score
BALTIMORE, Md., January 12, 2009 – The basketball goals at Corbett Sports Center will be a welcomed sight for the North Carolina A&T men’s basketball team. The Aggies had another rough shooting night on the road as they lost to Coppin State 61-48 Monday night at the Coppin Center.

The Aggies shot just 25.4 percent for the game, 20 percent in the second half and they scored 20 second-half points. All three areas were season-lows.

“I told the team to keep their heads up,’’ said Eaves who saw his team drop to 0-10 on the road. “We rebounded the ball, we turned them over, but we just didn’t hit shots.”

The Aggies were led Ed Jones’ 12 points, but that came on 3-for-15 shooting. Dwane Joshua added 10 for N.C. A&T (6-10, 1-2). N.C. A&T is shooting just 37.5 percent on the road and averaging 57.9 points. At home however, the Aggies are shooting 50.4 percent and averaging 85.5 points.

“We’re a team right now that feels more comfortable in our own gym,’’ said Eaves. “Teams hit cycles. Right now we can’t hit shots. Hopefully being at home will snap us out of it.”

The Aggies didn’t shoot the ball in the first half against the Eagles, but grabbed 10 offensive boards and scored 10 points off turnovers to trail by just three at the half, 31-28. But what is only likely to happen to a team once in a millennium, happened to the Aggies to open the second half.

N.C. A&T missed its first 14 shots of the second half. It wasn’t until a Jones layup with 10:36 remaining in the game that the Aggies put their first field goal in the basket. By that point, the Eagles had built a 44-32 lead.

The Aggies second field goal of the half didn’t come until three minutes later when Nick Wilson scored on a layup to make it 48-34. But Coppin State’s Michael Harper hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Eagles a 51-34 lead with 6:16 to play.

“I thought we did a good job of containing (Tywain McKee),’’ said Eaves about the Eagles leading scorer who finished 13 points, 13 rebounds and six assists on 3-for-13 shooting. “But the Harper kid hit some big shots for them, and with the way we were shooting the ball it really put us in a hole.”

Harper finished with 15 for the Eagles who improved to 3-13 overall and 1-2 in the MEAC. The Aggies return to action Saturday afternoon when they get a chance to play in Corbett Sports Center at 4 against Maryland-Eastern Shore.

“We’re happy to be going home,’’ said Eaves.