A&T upsets Hampton

GREENSBORO, N.C. — With its 74-63 victory over first-place Hampton on Monday night, N.C. A&T took an important first step toward climbing the MEAC ladder.

Playing in their fourth straight game without guard Nic Simpson, the Aggies (12-14, 7-5) weathered 27 points from Kwame Morgan to pull away from the Pirates (19-6, 9-3) in the final minutes in the Corbett Sports Center.

Simpson, who likely will be sidelined until the final week of the season with a knee injury, is A&T's second-leading scorer at 14.6 points per game. "This team has really stepped up. They really have. It just doesn't show all the time," A&T coach Jerry Eaves said. "To have lost Nic, the team has made a decision they can win."

Aggies' Streak Comes To An End

GREENSBORO, N.C. - There were times on Monday when it looked like North Carolina A&T's streak would end without much of a fight.

That is until the Aggies started to fight. They took conference-leader Hampton's best shots, and kept getting off the canvas. But missed opportunities on the offensive end, and made Hampton free throws finally finished off the Aggies in a 74-66 loss to the Pirates.

The loss brought to an end one of the most impressive streaks in MEAC history. The Aggies went four years without losing to a conference opponent at home. The winning streak lasted 30 games. It lasted so long; no current player on the roster was an Aggie when the streak began.

"A streak like that says you have had one of the better programs for a long time," said N.C. A&T head Patricia Cage-Bibbs.

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NEXT GAME: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19 @ SOUTH CAROLINA STATE, 2 P.M., ORANGEBURG, S.C.