CHAPLIN LEADS AGGIES TO WIN OVER COPPIN

Box Score
GREENSBORO, NC, January 21, 2006 – The North Carolina A&T men’s basketball team went from winless to posting a winning streak in the matter of six days.  

 The Aggies won their second straight with a 78-71 win over Coppin State at Cal Irvin-Don Corbett court at Corbett Sports Center on Saturday. The win marks the second straight season the Aggies have put together two-game winning streaks after going two consecutive seasons without doing so. The Aggies improved to 2-13 overall and 2-4 in the MEAC.

 A win over Morgan State Wednesday would give the Aggies their first three-game winning streak in four years. Sophomore forward Trahern Chaplin had a career night with 25 points on 5-for-8 shooting from 3-point range and 10-for-14 shooting from the floor. Senior Michael Hayes added 14 points and nine rebounds, and sophomore Jason Wills finished with 12 points and eight boards.

 “I’m just proud of them,’’ said head coach Jerry Eaves. “The young people are playing their guts out. They are starting to believe they can win. We haven’t been able to close games out and now we’re learning to close games out.”

 The Aggies shot better than 50 percent (51.8 percent for the game) for the first time this season and for the fourth time in the three-year Eaves era. The win on Saturday also ended a six-game losing streak to the Eagles that dates back to the 2001-2002 season.

 Hot shooting is what the Aggies needed to hold off the Eagles (4-13, 4-2 MEAC), who came into the game riding a four-game winning streak. A Chaplin layup gave the Aggies a 66-54, matching the biggest N.C. A&T had all night and all season.

 The Eagles kept chipping away at the Aggies lead until they were able to shrink it to four, 70-66, on a Tywain McKee 3-pointer with 59 seconds remaining. In need of an answer, the Aggies found it in 6-foot-4 freshman point guard Christopher Faison.

 Faison, who played valuable minutes off the Aggies bench by dishing out five assists and collecting five rebounds, drove down the lane for a layup to give the Aggies a 72-66 lead with 43 seconds remaining.

 After Hayes pushed the Aggies lead to seven with a made free throw, McKee drove to the basket and scored, cutting the lead to five. Following two Greg Roberts made free throws that pushed the lead back to seven, McKee hit another three to trim the Aggies lead to four with 23 seconds remaining.

 By this point in the game, time was beginning to run out on the Eagles chances, and when Walter Booth spotted Jason Wills breaking away from the Eagles pressure for a crowd-thrilling two-hand slam, the Aggies had their winning streak.

 “We have to continue to play hard and prepare to do things correctly,’’ said Eaves. “They have to trust each other and their teammates. We gave up the ball unselfishly and shot so many layups against their pressure.”

 The Eagles were led by McKee’s 20 points. Talmadge Bell added 12.

 The Aggies are back in action on Monday night when they face Morgan State for the last game of the Aggies’ four-game homestand. Game time is 7:30.

 ”We have to protect our home court on Monday night with Morgan State coming in,’’ said Eaves. “They haven’t won a game yet but we know they are going to play hard. We have to be ready to go.”