It was a tightly contested game last weekend when the men’s basketball team traveled to Beaumont, Texas to play Lamar University. They came up on the short end of a 74-73 score when senior guard Tavarus Alston missed a 17-foot jump shot as time expired last Saturday.

The Aggies trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half but remained resilient on the road. They took an 8-point lead with just under 8 minutes in the game after back-to-back 3-pointers from Alston and senior guard Dwane Joshua. Lamar fought back late in the half and eventually regained the lead off of two clutch free throws with 10 seconds left in the game.

Those two points would eventually win the game.

“I am really just disappointed,” said North Carolina A&T head coach Jerry Eaves. “We had an excellent chance to win on the road, but we just didn’t close them out. As the season progresses, we’re going to have to learn how to close people out on the road.”

Joshua finished the game with 21 points and made five out of his six three point attempts. For Alston, the final shot would have been the perfect way to cap a career-high 24 point game. Instead the Aggies dropped their third consecutive game. On Thanksgiving they were beaten by New Mexico State 84-68 in a battle of the Aggies. The New Mexico State Aggies gained their advantage at the free throw line where they got 32 shots compared to just 11 attempts for the NCAT Aggies.

Last Wednesday, North Carolina A&T lost by a similar margin to UTEP in El Paso, Texas. The score was 81-66 in a game where UTEP had five different players in double-digit scoring. Joshua led the Aggies in scoring and set his career high mark with 21 points on six of nine from three point range and he added six rebounds.

The previous two games were wins at home against Middle Tennessee St. on November 23 and Davis & Elkins on the 20th. The Aggies currently hold a 3-5 record with all five on the road. They will travel and play at Norfolk State Saturday. Gametime is at approxiamately 6 p.m.. 

• Prince Askew