Jones scores 23 on 6-for-11 shooting

Box Score
AKRON, Ohio, December 13, 2008 – The North Carolina A&T men’s basketball team knew what it was getting into. Yet the Aggies went and endure it anyway because they needed the experience. Head coach Jerry Eaves expected Akron to be tough, physical and aggressive. The Zips did not disappoint in a 78-61 win over N.C. A&T at Rhodes Arena Saturday night.

Senior guard Ed Jones led the Aggies with 23 points and three steals on 6-for-11 shooting. Junior guard Tavarus Alston added 15 points and four assists for the Aggies (5-4), who saw their three-game winning streak come to an end. The Zips were led by freshman Anthony Hitchens’ 23 points and four assists.

The loss marked the second straight season the Aggies traveled to play the Zips and lost.

“I came back again because I love the atmosphere here and I love their style of play,’’ said Eaves. “We don’t get to see that style of play a lot. In our league, they’re not going to allow the bumping, the grabbing, the pushing and hand-checking. But in this league it is understood that teams are going to play a little more aggressively. My team needs to see that. I want my team to become more aggressive.”

The Zips used their physical style to grab 17 offensive rebounds for the game. But the biggest benefit Akron took from its aggressive play was forcing the Aggies into 29 turnovers. The Zips scored 28 points off of those turnovers.

“They really disrupt things,’’ said Eaves. “They really body you and jump into the passing lanes. They do a great job of taking away what you want to do offensively.”

The Aggies remained closed for most of the night, however, because they shot the ball well. The Aggies shot 61.9 percent in the first half. Layups by Nick Wilson and Tavarus Alston with less than a minute to go in the first half helped the Aggies head into the locker room tied at 35.

Despite the competitive contest, N.C. A&T could not rid itself of turnovers. The Aggies committed four in the first 3 ½ minutes of the second half and fell behind 42-35 after also not scoring a basket in the same time frame. A Jones three put the Aggies on the board in the second half. Two Jones free throws at the 14:41 mark moved the Aggies to within two at 44-42.

Akron’s Steve McNees would hit back-to-back threes amongst two more Jones free throws to give the Zips a 50-44 lead. Alston answered by putting the ball on the floor and sprinting to the basket for a floater to put the Aggies down four, 50-46 with 11:13 to play.

Brett McKnight put a little more distance between the Zips and the Aggies with a 3-pointer before a crucial moment in the game helped the Zips pull away for good. Eaves was called for a technical foul for being outside the coach’s box. Two McKnight free throws gave the Zips a nine-point lead with 10:12 remaining. Akron would build its lead to 17 over the next three minutes as the Zips eventually improved their record to 6-3.

A year ago, the Zips defeated the Aggies 87-70. “My defense is predicated on forcing you to shoot the jump shot, and they knocked down some key jumpers,’’ said Eaves. “But when we forced them into missed jump shots, we didn’t rebound the basketball and that’s our fault. But my team is getting better. I just need to get my program into a situation where we can play this kind of team in a home and home. In my gym or on a neutral floor, we can beat a lot of teams across the nation.”