The A&T men’s basketball team began their season with a

97-65 road loss to the Creighton Blue Jays.

The A&T men’s basketball team began their season with a 97-65 road loss to the Creighton Blue Jays.

Creighton is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference and went 22-17 last season.

The Aggies, who went 15-17 in 2011, are returning four starters and added three freshmen to their roster.

Head coach Jerry Eaves is entering his eighth season and has the third most wins in A&T history.

The season-opening game was played in front of more than 15,000 fans at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska.

The Blue Jays jumped in front of the Aggies early as they took an 11-0 lead after their first four offensive possessions of the game.

The Aggies responded by going on an 11-0 run of their own, tying the game 11-11.

The Blue Jays quickly shifted the momentum from the Aggies as they took a 24-13 lead after a timely 13-2 run.

Personal fouls and costly turnovers aided the Blue Jays in gaining a 28-46 halftime lead.

After creating a marginal lead, the Blue Jays exerted defensive dominance for the remainder of the game, holding the Aggies to 38 percent shooting from the field.

The Aggie’s starting five accounted for only 28 of the team’s 65 points.

None of A&T’s players were able to score in double-digits.

Junior forward, Austin Witter, led the Aggies in scoring with 9 points.

Offensively, the Blue Jays found a niche penetrating the A&T defense and dishing the ball out to three-point shooters, compiling 28 assists.

The most efficient shooter for the Blue Jays was sophomore guard Jahenns Manigat who connected on 5-7 three-pointers and finished with 18 points.

Senior point guard Antoine Young finished the game with 11 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds.

The Aggies will finish up their three game road trip with games against Campbell University on Thursday.

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• Kalyn Hoyle, Register Reporter