HOKIES
3'S DOWN AGGIES BLACKSBURG, VA., December 7, 2005 -- The plan was to limit the touches of Virginia Tech big man Coleman Collins.
Unfortunately, the flipside to the N.C. A&T men's basketball team's strategy caught fire. With the Aggies focused in on stopping the Hokies post play, guard Zabian Dowdell took advantage by hitting 7 of 12 from 3-point range on his way to 25-point night to lead the Hokies to a 94-66 win over the Aggies Wednesday at Virginia Tech's Cassell Coliseum.
Guions scored a career-high 21 points to lead the Aggies. Austin Ewing and Greg Roberts had 15 points apiece with Roberts adding seven rebounds to his totals.
"If we let Coleman get the ball where he wanted it, he would have fouled our whole team out...he's just that talented,'' said N.C. A&T head men's basketball coach Jerry Eaves about the Hokies 6-9 forward who had 25 against Duke over the weekend. "We were willing to let them live and die by the 3-pointer tonight, and you have to give Dowdell credit, he knocked down the shots. I doubt he's going to shoot it like that often, so we don't regret trying to take Coleman out of the game."
The Aggies strategy worked for the most part in the first half. Coleman had just six shot attempts and never went to the line. In fact, the Hokies went to the line just four times in the first half. Meanwhile, the Aggies executed their offense, scored 10 points in the paint and knocked down five first-half 3-pointers.
Dowdell, however, made the difference. At one point in the first half, he hit four 3-pointers over a four-minute stretch that put the Hokies ahead 23-13 with 10:45 remaining in the half. The Aggies would net let the Hokies get away. Ewing, who had five 3-pointers of his own, answered with a three that pulled the Aggies to within seven, 23-16.
Forward Wynton Witherspoon would another of the Hokies nine first-half 3-pointers to spark a 13-2 that pushed the Hokies ahead 36-18. The Hokies would extend their lead to as many as 19 in the first half before a late first-half rally pulled the Aggies to within at the half, 45-33. The Aggies would not get any closer as Coleman began to exert himself in the second half, scoring 11 of his 17 points in the second half.
Coleman added 14 rebounds to his totals, Jamon Gordon finished with 11 points and 11 assists.
"I was pleased with the way my team fought tonight,'' said Eaves. "I thought we did a good job on their big guy. A lot of the put backs he got was because the ball bounced on the rim a couple of times, so we missed timed our jumps and he's so long he was able to take advantage. I would have preferred they score their 90 points on all threes, but in the second half they were able to score in transition, which is something we'll have to work on.
"But in the halfcourt set, we were able to get as many layups as they did, and that's a positive sign for my team."
The Aggies (0-5) return to action Wednesday, December 14 when they travel to Buies Creek to face Campbell at 7 p.m., inside Carter Gym.