Courtesy: North Carolina A&T
LAS VEGAS – When Texas Southern College’s (TSU) Zytarious Mortle stole the ball from North Carolina A&T guard Camian Shell and turned it into a brilliant inventive dunk on the opposite finish to provide the Tigers an 18-point benefit Saturday night time on the Chris Paul HBCU Problem at Michelob ULTRA Area, issues began wanting bleak once more for the 0-9 A&T males’s basketball.
However over the ultimate 17 minutes of the sport, the bleakness progressively subsided, the inventive slams disappeared and the Aggies celebrated in Vegas with their first win of the season, 85-79, over the Tigers. The 18-point come-from-behind win additionally marked Montè Ross’s first win as A&T’s head coach. TSU dropped to 0-8.
“I’m simply pleased for the fellows,” mentioned Ross. “They work so laborious, and once more, it’s going to be an overused time period from me, however they have been dedicated to the method of what we’re doing with out being emotionally hooked up to the outcomes, and it confirmed. I advised them it confirmed coronary heart to get again within the recreation; now let’s present the smarts to complete this factor off.”
Sophomore Landon Glasper led the best way with 31 factors, seven assists and three steals, marking the second time he has exceeded 30 factors in a single recreation this season. He went 9-for-16 from the ground, made three 3-pointers and was 10-for-13 from the free throw line.
“Landon was actually selective in regards to the pictures he took tonight,” mentioned Ross. “One of many largest variations in his recreation tonight is that he pulled up from 30 (ft) tonight like he usually does, however it went in, and it actually obtained him going to the place they began to essentially press up on him, and he was in a position to get some drives to the basket due to it.”
After Mortle’s dunk, Glasper’s 3-pointer obtained the Aggies headed in the correct course, reducing the Tigers’ result in 56-41. Glasper reduce TSU’s result in single figures, 69-61, on a pull-up jumper with 10:09 remaining. 4 minutes later, Glasper’s three reduce A&T’s deficit to 76-71.
Freshman Jalal McKie obtained the Aggies to inside three earlier than the ultimate media timeout by following his miss. After the media timeout, Glasper hit two free throws earlier than he turned a Shell steal right into a 3-pointer that gave the Aggies a 78-76 lead with 2:40 remaining. It marked the Aggies first lead of the sport.
After two Grayson Carter free throws ended A&T’s 11-0 run and tied the sport at 78. Shell, who needed to sit and collect himself after some second-half turnovers, returned with a vengeance as he drove to the basket and scored on an enormous bucket to provide the Aggies an 80-78 lead with 1:55 to play. Ninety seconds later, freshman Nikolaos Chitikoudis adopted his miss with a not-so-much inventive dunk however a large one to seal the sport for the Aggies.
A profit for the Aggies on Saturday was the A&T debut of 6-foot-9 middle Jason Murphy. After ready out his attraction from the NCAA, the Frostburg State and NJIT switch performed his first recreation in an Aggies uniform. The Aggies, who’ve lacked dimension all season with the absence of Murphy and injured 6-9 middle Will Felton, have been even in rebounding (34-34) and factors within the paint (28-28) on Saturday. Murphy completed with 9 factors and eight rebounds.
“He was great,” mentioned Ross. “I used to be nervous in regards to the jitters he could have as a result of it was his first recreation again. I advised him, ‘Simply do what you do in observe.’ And that’s the largest praise I pays him. He practices at a excessive stage daily, so I knew the sport velocity wouldn’t be an issue as a result of that’s how he practices. The larger considerations have been his wind and his stamina. However he dealt with himself and the scenario nicely.”
Murphy thanked his coaches, his teammates and his household for being uplifting whereas he waited to play. Murphy additionally mentioned his presence provides depth to the Aggies lineup going ahead.
“I believe we get a bit of bit extra aligned to our true positions, and it offers J-Rob (Jeremy Robinson) and Niko (Chitikoudis) extra versatility to play on the perimeter and never the 5 (middle) once I’m within the recreation,” mentioned Murphy.
Chitikoudis’s putback dunk was his solely two factors of the sport, however he did add 9 rebounds. Three different Aggies joined Glasper in double figures as Shell completed with 13 factors. Robinson linked on all 4 area purpose makes an attempt, together with two 3-pointers to complete with 10, and McKie got here off the bench to attain 10.
Carter led the Tigers with 19 factors. North Carolina A&T will shut out the Chris Paul HBCU Problem in opposition to Jackson State on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. Jap Normal Time at Michelob ULTRA Area.
