A controversial call was perhaps the most important deciding factor in N.C. A&T’s 63-62 victory over Coppin State.
The call came after the Aggies’ junior guard, Jeremy Underwood, made what turned out to be the winning three-pointer.
Once the shot was made, Coppin State inbounded the ball and freshman point guard, Patrick Cole, advanced the ball up the court towards the basket to lay up a shot that was contested by Austin Witter. The lay-up was made, but the shot was ruled no good. Although the basket looked good to some spectators, the official’s call remained final.
In the first half, the Aggies fell short as the Eagles went on a 9-0 run. Coppin State knocked down three shots from behind the arch – two of which by junior guard, Andre Armstrong who had a game-high 27 points that included 8 three-pointers.
While Coppin State shot 52 percent from the three-point line, the Aggies did not let that stop them from playing aggressively. With a layup by senior forward DaMetrius Upchurch, a three pointer from Underwood, another layup from Upchurch, a jumper by junior guard Lamont Middleton, and a layup from Witter, the Aggies only trailed by two.
Towards the end of the first half, the Aggies took the lead with Middleton sinking a three point shot bringing the score to 36-34. Soon after, senior forward Adrian Powell went to the basket for a layup giving the team a four-point lead. The Eagles answered when Cole hit a mid-range jumper going into halftime 38-38.
In the second half, the Aggies refocused, and it showed on the court. They made better decisions and got their shots to fall in order to sustain a small lead over Coppin State. “Sometimes we finished, sometimes we didn’t. We played with a lot more smarts tonight especially late in the game,” said A&T head coach Cy Alexander.
With less than a minute to go in regulation, the Aggies were down 62-60 and had two options: take the ball inside to send them into overtime or shoot a three for the win.
“Witter wasn’t open on the inside option, Powell wasn’t open on the outside option and [Underwood] made the right decision,” said Alexander. “He shot it with a lot of confidence and a lot of poise.”
“I knew that I made a mistake last game so the whole thing was in my mind that I had to redeem myself,” said Underwood. In A&T’s previous game against Morgan State, Underwood was forced to take a three pointer to tie the game, but he missed and the Aggies lost 55-52.
Powell led the Aggies with 23 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Middleton finished with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Another factor that contributed to the Aggies’ victory was rebounding on both sides. A&T out rebounded Coppin State 41-to-28.
Next, the Aggies (3-3, 10-11) will go on the road Saturday to face the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (1-4, 1-15).
Email Uniqua at [email protected] and follow The Register on Twitter @TheATRegister
- Uniqua Quillins, Register Reporter