North Carolina A&T’s men’s basketball team saved perhaps its best performance to date for one of its biggest stages.
Right on cue, the Aggies were up to the task against longtime rival North Carolina Central, defeating the visitors from Durham 85-72 Saturday afternoon at Corbett Sports Center.
It was broadcast to a national television audience on CBS. The matchup was the first part of a historic HBCU Showcase televised doubleheader, as Howard faced Hampton at 4 p.m. from Hampton, Va., on CBS following the Aggies’ victory over the Eagles.
“You have to be careful as a coach the way you approach a game like this,” Aggies coach Monté Ross said. “Every game is important, but there is significance to rivalry games like this game. I didn’t want them to be out there and getting emotionally drunk, where they’re just flying on emotion. And then when that emotion subsides, it’s a basketball game to play.”
A&T was in tune midway through the first half, and it showed for the rest of the afternoon.
Ryan Forrest racked up 30 points, Landon Glasper poured in 25 points, and Nikolaos Chitikoudis hauled in a career-high 22 rebounds, becoming the first Aggie to snatch 20-plus boards in a single game since Bruce Jenkins did it on January 12, 2002, against Norfolk State.
The outcome ended A&T’s eight-game losing streak. The Aggies (4-10) are now ready to create new vibes for the New Year as the Coastal Athletic Association games approach quickly.
“When we execute our offense, we get good shots,” Ross said. “It’s a process. Hopefully, we’re hitting our stride. It’s how we played, and that’s what we’ll latch on to.”
The timing couldn’t have been better with NCCU in the building. Not that he needed a reminder, but this fall, after the universities met in football, Ross was in church the next day when the pulpit mentioned that “it’s a great day to be an Eagle.”
What was the response?
“Somebody from the back of the church yelled, ‘It won’t happen when basketball rolls around,’ ” Ross said. “So it’s a serious rivalry. It’s hard not to embrace a rivalry because it’s everywhere.”
The combination of Forest and Glasper looked unstoppable for stretches. Forrest shot 12-for-18 from the field. Glasper sank five 3-point baskets and went 6-for-6 on free throws.
Landon Glasper has 15 points in the first 10 minutes 😳 @ncatmbb pic.twitter.com/tNYLICKSEv
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) December 28, 2024
“They hadn’t played well together all year long,” Ross said. “To see them do it, and both of them do it in different fashions. It just shows what we can be as we move forward.”
N.C. Central (6-10) didn’t have many answers, shooting 38.1 percent from the floor.
“Our best game defensively, especially the second half,” Ross said. “One of our keys at halftime sprint back and make them see all five of us every single time.”
It had been more than a month (Nov. 20 vs. Morgan State) since the Aggies last experienced victory. They made up for lost time with a variety of highlights.
By the time Camian Shell got into the 3-point shooting act, the Aggies were up 65-51 with 14:52 remaining in the game. The margin grew to as much as 20 points, 79-59, on two Chitikoudis free throws with eight minutes to play, delighting the A&T faithful.
It wouldn’t have been a rivalry clash if the Eagles didn’t make a charge. They chopped A&T’s lead to 81-69 with more than four minutes remaining.
A&T’s defense doused a few chances for NCCU to draw closer. By the 1-minute mark, Aggies fans were on their feet to cheer the effort and cherish the impending result.
Aggies pulling away with dunk by Nikolaos Chitikoudis.
62-49 #AggiePride pic.twitter.com/LEvbc7EXoQ— N.C. A&T Athletics (@NCATAGGIES) December 28, 2024
An entertaining first half had numerous sequences that ended similarly – points scored by Glasper or Forest. They combined for 30 first-half points. Glasper poured in 18 points, draining four 3-pointers, before halftime.
A&T scored the last 10 points of the half, capped by Chitikoudis’ tip-in for a 46-39 lead.
“I’ve heard a lot of things about Central and the whole rivalry,” Chitikoudis said. “I was here last year, too, so I had a chance to experience it.”
There was domination on the boards for the Aggies, led by Chitikoudis. He had 10 rebounds in the first half.
“The selflessness that Nikos plays with is the key and will be the key for us as we move forward,” Ross said. “We have guys that really like to score. He’s just the glue and probably the most important guy that we have. All he cares about is winning.”
Chitikoudis was coming off time in the concussion protocol, so he had limited practice leading to the game. He ended up with half of the team’s 44 rebounds with four blocked shots.
“We realized we have a pretty talented group,” Ross said. “But we’re figuring out how to play together. It has taken us some time. With the schedule we’ve put together, it’s hard to find yourself. But we’ve been stacking practice days. I’m glad it manifested itself today.”
Courtesy: North Carolina A&T athletics