GREENSBORO - Don't look now, but the North Carolina A&T men's basketball team is doing the things teams do to be successful in March. They're winning close games. They are overcoming adversity, and the Aggies are taking care of home.
For the second time this season, the Aggies won a thrilling overtime game at Corbett Sports Center. This time it was an 89-81 win over conference foe Norfolk State on Saturday.
The Aggies are now 4-0 at home with their other overtime win coming against UNC Wilmington on Nov. 23. Junior Marc Hill scored a career-high 29 points on 5-for-6 shooting from 3-point range to lead the Aggies on Saturday. Senior center Thomas Coleman added a career-high 24 points and 14 rebounds. He also had four blocks.
Coleman had another tough battle with Norfolk State center Kyle O'Quinn. O'Quinn finished with 27 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks.
"People are getting their money's worth in Corbett Sports Center,'' said N.C. A&T head coach Jerry Eaves. "There are some great games going on in here. I'd like to win them in regulation, but I'll take them any way I can get them. A win is a win in the conference."
The Aggies trailed by as many as five with 4:35 remaining in regulation. The Aggies put together a 7-0 run that was capped off by a Hill 3-pointer with 3:30 to play. Brandon Wheeless' reverse layup tied the game at 69 with 2:45 to play.
Hill gave the Aggies the lead back with a runner in the lane before O'Quinn's three put the Spartans ahead 72-71 with 1:10 showing on the clock. Coleman had a chance to recapture the lead for N.C. A&T, but missed a wide open dunk. He made up for it by hitting one of two free throws to tie the game at 72 apiece.
After Coleman's free throw, the Spartans still had 19 seconds remaining. But O'Quinn's drive was impeded by an Adrian Powell slap of the basketball that knocked the ball loose from O'Quinn's grip as time expired.
The Aggies took an early four-point lead in overtime, but the Spartans fought back. Wheeless' 3-pointer with 2:32 remaining pulled the Spartans to within one at 78-77. After a Witter dunk on a give-and-go, Rob Hampton hit one of two free throws for the Spartans. Hill then sealed the game with a wide open three that gave the Aggies an 83-78 lead with 1:15 to play.
"O'Quinn was not showing on the pick-and-roll so we just kept running our "V" play where Hill comes off of Thomas and either dribbles in the gut or hits the open shot,'' said Eaves. "They did not want to give Thomas opportunities to score in the paint, so Marc took advantage by hitting huge shots."
It was the fourth straight win for the Aggies as they improved to 5-3 overall and 1-0 in the MEAC. Hampton added 19 points for the Spartans (1-6, 0-1). The Aggies will take a week off before playing at Mississippi State on Sunday, Dec. 12 at 2 p.m. (EST).
