A week ago the Aggies folded under the pressure of a packed Greensboro Coliseum crowd as they blew a 15-point lead in a loss to Winston-Salem State.

On Monday they collapsed once again, losing to Morgan State 81-67 in a game that was nationally televised on ESPNU. 

With a little more than 12 minutes remaining in the game, the Aggies were holding on to a 50-40 lead.

They were in position to defeat the MSU Bears, the MEAC’s No.1-ranked team.

But then, the Aggies hit another one of those scoring droughts we have seen so many times this year.

In the first half, Morgan State 23-9 (14-1 MEAC) was able to jump out to an early 14-point advantage.

Bears guard Reggie Holmes torched the Aggies in the first half for 21 points.

No one else for Morgan State seemed to be able to knock down a basket, however, and the Aggies were able to get back into the game.

A 10-4 run capped by a Tavarus Alston three-pointer at the buzzer gave A&T a 37-32 lead going into the half.

Another 10-4 run to begin the second half allowed the Aggies to pull ahead by double digits.

After that came the turning point in the game, when the Bears got hot from the field and the Aggies went cold. 

A 28-9 run over a seven minute span saw Morgan take a 64-56 lead.

The Aggies would only score another nine points in the final six minutes of the game.

“When the score was 50-40, we stopped playing,” said head coach Jerry Eaves.

“We turned the ball over too many times and that’s when the momentum switched.

“It seems that keeping focus is hard for us to do.”

The Bears shot 57 percent from the field in the second half, including 50 percent from three.

Holmes finished with 32 points. He was able to knock down eight of his 13 three-point attempts. 

Thomas Colman led the way for A&T, recording his 10th double-double of the season with 16 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.

Alston also had 16 points, but only five in the second half.

This game followed a 77-65 loss to Coppin State on Saturday.

Eagles guard Michael Harper scored 30 points on the Aggies.

Robert Johnson led A&T with 18 points.

The Aggies 10-20 (6-9 MEAC) will close the regular season on Thursday at the Corbett Sports Center against Norfolk State at 8 p.m.

It will be senior night for Alston, Johnson, Dwane Joshua and James Porter.

The MEAC Tournament will begin Monday and the Aggies will likely play in the first round.

“We’re just going to keep working,”  Eaves said.

“We’ve proven we can compete with every team in the conference, so we’re looking forward to the tournament.” 

• Prince Askew