WILDCATS KNOCK AGGIES OUT OF MEAC TOURNEYBethune’s Webb, Larmond combine for 46 points
RICHMOND, Va., March 8, 2005 – It has bee an issue for the N.C. A&T men’s basketball team. When the Aggies are hitting their perimeter shots, they’re really good and effective. When the outside shots are not falling, the Aggies do not have a post presence that can score down low for them.
During the No. 8-9 seed play-in game on Tuesday, Aggies guard Sean Booker got off to a hot start, but as cooled off, Bethune-Cookman’s Antonio Webb and Diondre Larmond warmed up and led the Wildcats to a 76-62 MEAC Tournament win.
The loss eliminates the Aggies from the MEAC Tournament, and ends their season at 6-24. Booker led the Aggies with 16 points, and Steven Koger added 11 points in his final game in an Aggies uniform. Freshman Demetrius Guions, a member of the Aggies future, had 13.
“Early on Sean was getting some good looks, but when they started playing him a little tougher we were looking to Steven Koget to get going and he couldn’t hit his shot in the first half. That puts tremendous pressure on Sean when Steven doesn’t have it going. We’re a team that needs to hit our perimeter shots to win.”
Koger, who emerged as the Aggies second option this season by leading the team 3-point field goals made and 3-point field goal percentage, was 0-for-5 from the field in the first half.
Despite Koger’s shot not finding the mark, Booker carried the Aggies by scoring 13 of their first 17 points. Guions also got off to a good start. He caught a lob pass from Booker on a fastbreak to give the Aggies a 25-23 lead with 3:49 to play in the first half.
The game turned in the Wildcats favor from there. Larmond and Webb began to take advantage of some defensive mistakes by the Aggies. Larmond hit a three after he was left open because of double team in the post.
Webb followed with another three after a failed steal attempt left him open. Webb connected on yet another three as he came down the court in transition. The three straight threes put the Wildcats up 32-25. Two Guions free throws put the Aggies down by five. The closest the Aggies would get the rest of the day.
“That was a big point in the game,’’ Eaves said. “When you gamble the way we gambled on two of those three possessions, something bad will happen. I think those three shots got them going. We never got going again.”
Booker had just one field goal in the second half, while Larmond did indeed keep going. With the Wildcats leading 34-27 coming out of the locker room, Larmond’s three consecutive 3-pointers to start the second half sparked an 11-4 run to put the Wildcats up 45-31 four minutes into the second half.
Koger hit his first 3-pointer of the game to cut the lead to 11 with 15:07 remaining in the game, but Larmond capped off a 15-4 run over the next five minutes with a 3-pointer from the corner to put the Aggies down 60-38.
Larmond finished the day with 22 points on 6-for-10 shooting from 3-point range. Webb led the way with 24 points on 8-for-16 shooting from the floor. He averaged 27.3 points in three meetings with the Aggies this season. The Wildcats won the season series, 2-1.
“I don’t think it was what they did to us, I think it had more to do with what we did to ourselves,’’ Booker said. “You have to keep your intensity up in the postseason, and we didn’t do that.”
Koger, Rechodd Carter, Jeff Alvis and Gregory Davis ended their Aggie careers on Tuesday. Carter got into foul trouble early, which hindered his final performance. Alivs had four points and five rebounds, and Davis played just five minutes.
“We think our future looks bright,’’ Eaves said. “We didn’t have the seniors other teams had, but with our pups, we were in every home game this year and should have won more of them.”
“That’s says a lot about these kids, and the fact they never gave up. We played a lot of our younger players this year, and I liked what I saw. We just have to keep them improving during the off-season. We’re going to continue to do this the right way. We’re going to build through high school recruits and we fully expect to win many more games next season.”