On a highly anticipated and intense Monday night in a sold-out Corbett Sports Center, the Aggie men’s basketball team battled against the Hampton Pirates, losing by one point in a nail-biting finish with the score 73-74.
The Aggies fought hard throughout the game, keeping tensions high as the lead changed back and forth. With the Hampton Pirates not winning in Corbett since January 16th, 2016– this game was one to remember.
Coach Monte Ross acknowledged the effort of his players during the game.
“I can quote the passion and effort that these guys play with every single night. It’s a joy to coach them everyday,” Ross said.
The Aggies’ free throw shooting showed improvement, with the team making 77% of their attempts overall, including 80% in the second half (12 of 15). However, missed layups remained an issue.
“The layups are probably still a bugaboo of mine that we’re missing too many of,” Ross said. “If we want to improve on layups we’ve got to keep shooting them at game speed.”
Hampton capitalized on their three-point shooting in the first half, hitting 40% from beyond the arc. The halftime adjustments from the Aggies slowed down the three-pointers falling for the Pirates, limiting the Pirates to just 11% from three-point range in the second half.
“Percentage-wise, we did a decent job defensively on them numbers-wise, but 40% from three in the first half, that’s too much,” Ross said. “In the second half, we held them to 11%, which is more in line with how we guard.”
Jahnathan Lamothe stepped up in the absence of Nikolaos Chitikoudis, the team’s leading rebounder, grabbing an impressive 17 rebounds.
“Jahn is really taking it to heart. I mean, 17 rebounds is just outstanding. It’s a testament to his work as he continues to try to help us wherever he can,” Ross said.
The Aggies had two fouls to give at the closing moments of the game with the score tied at 73. Ross explained the strategy.
“We just wanted to make them start over twice, and we did that. Part of me wishes we would have let them run it down a little bit more, but then you run that risk of them going, and our guys foul, and they’re in the act of shooting,” Ross said.
Despite the loss, Coach Ross remains proud of his team’s effort and focus.
“We’ve had the opportunity to win every game that we’ve played in the CAA, and it’s because we’re going to fight for 40 minutes every single night,” Ross said. “We don’t always play smart, but we’re going to play with passion and play hard.”
The Aggies, now 4-16 on the season, will look to build on their resilience and preparation as they continue their season in the midst of conference play.
“As long as we have five guys to play, we’re gonna go out there, we’re gonna play hard, we’re gonna try to get a W no matter what,” Ross said.
The Aggies face the Towson Tigers on Jan. 23 at 7pm at SECU Arena in Towson, Maryland.
