Box Score
GREENSBORO, November 20, 2006 – The North Carolina A&T men’s basketball team took out its frustration of losing some tough road games over the last two weeks on Mars Hill Monday night with a 98-66 win at Corbett Sports Center.

Junior guards Steven Rush and Glenn Nelson led the way with 22 points apiece. Rush was a torching 6-for-8 from 3-point range, while Nelson was 9-for-12 from the floor as the Aggies shot 53 percent from the floor. Austin Ewing added 18 points.

“We came to play tonight,” said head coach Jerry Eaves. “When we come to play like we did tonight we have a chance to be a very good basketball team. When we don’t come to play, we can compete, but we will not be successful.”

Eaves discussed being down by just six at Missouri in the first half before four straight turnovers turned the game in Missouri’s favorite. He also brought up the close loss to Stetson, and the double-digit lead the Aggies held at Dayton.

On Monday, Eaves said there was a point in the first half where he felt his team could have fallen back into its old habits, but instead turned up the defensive pressure on the Lions and capitalized on Lion turnovers. Following a 5-0 Lions run, the Aggies led 19-13 with 14:04 remaining in the first half.

The Aggies forced the Lions into two missed jump shots and two turnovers over the Lions’ next four possessions. It resulted in a 10-0 Aggies run that ended with a Nelson 3-point play and a Nelson 3-pointer to give the Aggies a 29-13 lead midway through the first half.

From there Rush put on a 3-point show, and the Lions never seriously threatened again. Rush hit three 3-pointers in the final 10 minutes of the first half to give him six threes in the first half, putting him two 3-pointers shy of tying the school record of eight with 20 minutes to go in the game.

But Rush left the game early in the second half with the Aggies having a comfortable lead. The 98 points are the most points ever scored during the Eaves era, while the 32-point margin of victory is the largest margin of victory in the Eaves era. The Aggies shot 50 percent or better for the sixth time in the Eaves era.

Monday night was even a good night for Aggie descendants. Mars Hill freshman guard Stoney Polite, son of an Aggie football great who bears the same name, had 25 points on 6-for-12 shooting from 3-point range. Polite’s father is the fourth on the Aggies all-time rushing list.

The Aggies are back in action on Nov. 28 at home when they play Longwood at 7:30 p.m.