The N. C. Central University Eagles (14-12, 8-5) completed a season sweep of the N. C. A&T Aggies (11-17, 6-7) with a 71-66 victory in a sold-out Corbett Sports Center on Saturday.

Tension between the two rivaled programs was so thick that it could be cut with a knife.

All week, students and alumni from both programs displayed their overwhelming confidence and loyalty on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, claiming that their team would come out the victor.

The 139th meeting between the two rival Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opponents lived up to the competitive expectations.

In a game that featured 8 ties and 3 lead changes, it was the Aggies who initially appeared to have the upper hand in the early stages.

Senior guard Marc Hill pushed the tempo from the opening-tip, commanding the Aggies to an early 12-5 advantage a little over 4 minutes into the game. Hill would finish with 13 points and 4 assists.

The early lead and production from A&T junior forwards Adrian Powell and DaMetrius Upchurch created a sense of security amongst the Aggie faithful.

Powell would finish the game with 16 points, while Upchurch finished with 11.

Sharp shooting from Eagle forward Dominique Sutton and a timely three-pointer from guard Emmanuel Chapman quieted Corbett as the lead was cut to 3 points.

A few possessions later, a dunk by Eagle forward Ray Willis silenced the crowd as Central took a 19-18 lead.

After a trio of successful field goals by Upchurch, senior guard Nic Simpson and junior forward Austin Wittier, the Aggies once again found themselves in the driver’s seat with a 19-25 lead.

Leading by a score of 32-39 with less than 3 minutes left in the half, A&T found a way to allow Central to kill the momentum.

Unsuccessful three point attempts from sophomore guard Jeremy Underwood and Simpson, along with a missed layup by Upchurch left the Eagles the last possession of the half down 34-39.

Before anyone could purchase halftime concessions, a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Eagle guard Jeremy Ingram put the score at 37-39, leaving A&T fans with a bitter taste in their mouths.

Offense without defense seemed to be the philosophy, as both teams seemed to be trading baskets at the beginning of the second half.

After technical foul called on A&T, a pair of successful free throws by guard Ray Willis put the Eagles up 52-51 with 10:54 left in the half.

A Sutton layup and a Willis three-pointer on back-to-back possessions put the Eagles up 51-59 with 8:17 left to play.

Sutton and Willis, the number 6 and 7 scorers in the MEAC, both finished the game with double-doubles.

Willis, who finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds, was aggressive in penetrating the Aggies’ perimeter defense, converting on 6 of 6 free throws in the second half.

Sutton, who had no turnovers, finished with 24 points (7 of 10), 11 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Powell and Hill accounted for 14 of A&T’s 17 points through the first 14 minutes of the half.

The Aggies battled with the Eagles, cutting the deficit to 5 with an Upchurch layup.

Two possessions later, NCCU halftime hero Ingram sealed the Eagle’s fate with another clutch three-point shot, pushing the lead to 10 with 2:06 left to play.

The Aggies tried to play the fouls to lengthen the game, but it was too little too late.

Though the season series is over, the Aggies and Eagles could see each other again in the MEAC tournament in March.

For the Aggies, they will look to redeem themselves Saturday, February 25, as they will travel to Orangeburg, South Carolina to play against the South Carolina State Bulldogs (5-21, 0-12).

• Kayln Hoyle, contributor