North Carolina A&T State Moves on After Taking Down Howard
NORFOLK, Va., March 11, 2020–North Carolina A&T State advanced to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Basketball Tournament semifinals after taking down Howard, 86-77, inside the Scope Arena Thursday night.
NCAT advanced to Friday’s semifinal against either Norfolk State or Coppin State.
The Aggies shot 50 percent (32-for-64) with four players reaching double figures. Ronald Jackson produced a double-double (24 points and 14 boards), while Tyler Maye netted 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting in the victory.
“The guys came out and competed with a one-game approach,” North Carolina A&T State head coach Willie Jones, the MEAC Coach of the Year, said. “We’re going to continue to keep our head down, stay humble and confident.”
The Aggies held a double-digit halftime lead, but Howard sliced the margin to four after a jumper from Charles Williams, 42-38.
The Aggies withstood Howard’s second-half charge with multiple runs that extended their advantage to double digits.
Other notable performances included Kameron Langley becoming the MEAC’s all-time career assists leader while setting a new tournament single-game record with 15 assists.
“We’re focused on sharing the basketball,” Langley said. “We take pride in making the extra pass. I trust in my teammates in making the play.”
Williams converted an old-fashion 3-point play and put the Bison ahead, 19-18, with eight minutes before halftime.
NCAT responded with a 13-0 run and extended their lead to double digits, 31-19. Howard cut the margin to seven, 31-24, but the Aggies finished the half on an 8-3 spurt to take a 39-27 lead into the break.
Williams ended his Howard career as the MEAC’s all-time leading scorer, finishing with 2,404 points.
For the Aggies, rest is now paramount.
“We’re going to take this next day off and see who we play on Friday,” Jones said.