AGGIES CAN'T RECOVER FROM SLOW START

Wills ends season with 21 points and 10 rebounds

Box Score
 RALEIGH, March 7, 2006 – What happened to the Aggies for a 12-minute stretch on Tuesday is not uncommon to North Carolina A&T men’s basketball coach Jerry Eaves.

 After losing his top five players – two of which were his top two shooters – he is not surprised when his team goes through long scoring droughts. On Tuesday at the RBC Center, the surprise came when his team did not stop Howard from scoring.

 The Bison hit its first seven shots and shot 61 percent in the first half as it eliminated the Aggies from postseason action with a 62-52 win in an MEAC Tournament play-in game.

 “We normally do a better job of getting in people’s faces, but we didn’t tonight,’’ said Eaves. “(Howard guard) Will Gant hit one from about 25 feet out. When that happens they’re just on. We were not. We didn’t put the ball in the basket tonight and they did.

 The Aggies scored 17 points in the first half for the second straight game. The Aggies shot 20 percent in the first half against S.C. State on Friday in their season finale, but they trailed by just eight, 25-17. On Tuesday, when the Aggies shot 23.8 percent in the first half, they trailed 37-17.

 “We came out flat tonight,’’ said Jason Wills, who had his second double-double of the season as he finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. “We kept fighting, we kept going at them, but we didn’t have that same bite at the beginning.”

 The Aggie bite was missing to start the second half as well. The Bison opened the half on an 11-0 run aided by four Aggie turnovers to take a 48-17 lead. The Aggies would slowly chip away at the lead until they got it down to 12, 56-44, on a Michael Hayes putback with 2:18 remaining.

 Hayes was fouled on the play, but missed out on the 3-point play opportunity. After a Bison turnover, Jason Wills scored and was fouled on the play, giving him a shot a 3-point play. Wills missed the free throw that would have put the game under double digits with 1:42 remaining. Instead the Aggies still found themselves down 56-46, and the Bison was able to hit free throws to close out the Aggies.

 “Aggie basketball is going to be just fine,’’ Eaves said. “I like what we have lined up. We just have to put some things in place to make sure our young men are successful. I think there is a point very soon where we be capable of doing very well in this tournament.”

 The Aggies end the season 6-23 overall and 6-12 in the MEAC. The Aggies won conference games than they have in the last four seasons despite losing their top three scorers before and during the season.