In their first game, in the quarterfinals, of the MEAC tournament the North Carolina A&T Aggies were defeated by Morgan State University 77-59.

The Aggies, who entered the tournament as the No. 5 seed began their quest for the championship on Mar 10 against the No. 4 seed Morgan State Bears at the Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum in Winston -Salem, N.C.; it was their only game in the tournament.

The Aggies and Bears split their regular season meetings (1-1) with each team winning on their respective home courts. In their last meeting on Feb 28 in Corbett Sports Center the Aggies defeated the Bears 68-60.

North Carolina A&T entered the tournament winning three of their last five games against MEAC opponents; the Bears entered the tournament on a three game losing streak, that included the loss to the Aggies on Feb 28.

A&T’s effort and momentum would not be enough to defeat the Bears.

After defeating A&T, Morgan State advanced through the tournament to the finals; a spot the Aggies hoped they would be.

In his last game as an Aggie, senior center, Thomas Coleman led the Aggies with 14 points, eight rebounds, and three steals.

Coleman ends the season with 19 double-doubles and First team All-MEAC recognition. He ends his Aggie career as the all time leader in blocked shots and field goal percentage.

Over his career, Coleman scored 1285 points and recorded 969 rebounds and 298 blocks.

Junior guard Marc Hill added 10 points and sophomore guard R.J. Buck ended the game with 9 points.

Kevin Thompson led the Bears and all scorers with 24 points 12 rebounds and three blocks.

Aric Brooks and DeWayne Jackson added 11 points apiece in the Morgan State victory.

The Aggies played much of the game trialing behind the Bears, but were able to cut into Morgan State’s lead and gain a 22-21 advantage with just eight minutes remaining in the first half of play.

A&T’s lead would not last long as the Bears regained the lead and the momentum of the game.

The Bear’s pushed their lead back to double figures and at the half led A&T 43-33. After regaining the lead they never looked back.

Morgan State shot 57.7 percent in the first half and 50 percent on the game to defeat the Aggies 77-59.

The Bears held the Aggies to shooting just 34 percent on the game and 13 percent from three-point land.

The Bears out-rebounded the Aggies 30-35, which led to 21-second chance points.

Morgan State’s victory over the Aggies led to semifinals action against No. 1 Bethune-Cookman who they defeated 61-48 before falling to No. 2 Hampton University in the finals of the MEAC tournament.

• Lauren Morgan