GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- Meet the Ahmad Abdullah the North Carolina A&T men’s basketball coaching staff saw during the offseason and training camp. So confident in Abdullah’s ability to run his offense, head coach Cy Alexander named the walk-on junior his starting point guard before the 2014-15 season started.
But Abdullah regressed when the season started and freshman Austin Williams took over the starting point guard role. But with Williams out with a concussion, Abdullah got the start Saturday night against CSU Bakersfield and led the Aggies to an 83-70 win at Corbett Sports Center. It was the Aggies first win over a Division I opponent this season.
“He really stepped up to the plate and played his best game as an Aggie,” said Alexander. “This is what our coaching staff has been wanting from him. He’s been in the system for two years. Tonight he played as if he understood the system. Hopefully this game will give him confidence to keep playing like this.”
Abdullah finished with a career-high in points (17) and assists (5) on 4-for-8 shooting from the floor and 8-for-9 from the free throw line. Abdullah complemented his night with just two turnovers in 40 minutes played.
“I just felt like if Ahmad could play well this game, it could catapult him to playing well throughout the rest of the season,” said Alexander.
Abdullah and the Aggies got their first win over a Division I foe by making a season-high 35 free throws, the most they’ve made since making 44 against Florida A&M on Feb. 8, 2014. It is also the last time the Aggies scored more than 80 points against a Division I school.
The Aggies Division I losing streak comes to an end at 15 games with their previous DI win coming against S.C. State on March 3, 2014. A&T got a win over a CSU Bakersfield team that defeated California of the PAC-12 on Dec. 28.
Junior Arturs Bremers went 4-for-4 from 3-point range and added a career-high 18 points. Leading scorer Bruce Beckford played only 19 minutes because of foul trouble and finished with 13 points and six rebounds.
“For Bruce to only play 19 minutes and we still win, it could be a big boost psychology for these guys,” said Alexander. “I was so happy for the kids in the locker room because they’ve been trying to get over the hump, and they finally got it done against a team that was on a three-game winning streak and had a win over Cal.”
A&T (3-13) is getting its confidence at the right time. Conference foes Savannah State and S.C. State will play at Corbett on Jan. 10 and 12 respectively. The Aggies won by knocking down free throws late in the game. The Aggies made 30 of its 32 second half free throws and were 21-for-22 at the line in the final five minutes of the game.
In fact, the Aggies final 19 points of the game all came from the free throw line. Sophomore Khary Doby’s baseline jumper gave the Aggies a 58-52 lead with seven minutes to play. Sophomore Denzel Keyes then drove baseline and scored while being fouled Dashawn Richmond. Keyes missed the free throw, allowing the Road Runners (4-11) to cut the lead to six with two free throws.
But redshirt freshman James Whitaker answered with the Aggies final field goal of the game, a transition layup that gave A&T a 62-54 lead with 4:37 remaining.
“Not having a Division I win was weighing on everybody,” Alexander. “We’ve been trying to stay positive. We kept saying, ‘it’s coming, it’s coming and it finally got here. What we didn’t want was for them to have a defeatist attitude. What we have to do is take advantage of this win going into the games that really count – our conference games.’”
The Runners (4-11) were led by Richmond who had a game-high 21 points on 3-for-4 shooting from 3-point range.
The Aggies will have a week between games, which may give them time to get Williams back in the lineup.
“I hope Ahmad has his confidence to keep playing well because we have a young man in Austin Williams who is still learning how to play on the college level.”
A&T 83, Bakersfield 70
COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
CSU Bakersfield (4-10) at North Carolina A&T (2-13)
Date: January 3, 2015
Time: 7 p.m.
Facility: Corbett Sports Center
Series: CSUB leads 1-0
Date: January 3, 2015
Time: 7 p.m.
Facility: Corbett Sports Center
Series: CSUB leads 1-0
PROBABLE STARTERS: G Austin Williams (6-1, 175, Fr., 6.3 ppg, 3.5 apg); G Arturs Bremers(6-3, 195, Jr., 6.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg); F Bruce Beckford (6-7, 215, Jr., 15.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg); FKhary Doby (6-6, 206, So., 7.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg); CSteven Burrough (6-9, 245, So., 3.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg).
Aggies Overview: The Aggies return home for three straight home games starting with a non-conference contest against CSU Bakersfield. This will be a very important stretch of the season for the Aggies. A 3-0 homestand could change the whole perspective on what has been a tough season thus far.
The Aggies will rely on junior starBruce Beckford who has scored in double figures in his last seven games and ranks among the top scorers in the MEAC at 15.3 points per game. The Aggies are also looking for a complement to Beckford.
Juniors Khary Doby and Arturs Bremers and redshirt freshman James Whitaker have all taken turns being the Aggies No. 2 scorer but none have step forward on a consistent basis. Head coach Cy Alexander believes those four players consistency will go a long way in the Aggies 2014-15 success.
The Aggies will rely on junior starBruce Beckford who has scored in double figures in his last seven games and ranks among the top scorers in the MEAC at 15.3 points per game. The Aggies are also looking for a complement to Beckford.
Juniors Khary Doby and Arturs Bremers and redshirt freshman James Whitaker have all taken turns being the Aggies No. 2 scorer but none have step forward on a consistent basis. Head coach Cy Alexander believes those four players consistency will go a long way in the Aggies 2014-15 success.
CSUB Overview: The Roadrunners got off to a 1-10 start, but they have heated up lately. The Runners are on a three-game winning streak which includes wins over Idaho State and California of the PAC-12.
The Runners are led by 6-foot-9 center Aly Ahmed. Ahmed leads the Runners in scoring at 14.1 points and is second in rebounding at 6.4 per game. On Dec. 29, he was named WAC Player of the Week after the win over Cal. He ranks among the top-5 scorers and top-10 rebounders in the conference.
Another strong rebounder for the Runners is Kevin Mays. He is 37thin the nation in double-doubles with four and leads the WAC in rebounding at 8.4 boards per. Javonte Maynor is one of the Runners top 3-point shooters. He is the active 3-point leader in the WAC in 3-pointers made with 171.
The Runners are led by 6-foot-9 center Aly Ahmed. Ahmed leads the Runners in scoring at 14.1 points and is second in rebounding at 6.4 per game. On Dec. 29, he was named WAC Player of the Week after the win over Cal. He ranks among the top-5 scorers and top-10 rebounders in the conference.
Another strong rebounder for the Runners is Kevin Mays. He is 37thin the nation in double-doubles with four and leads the WAC in rebounding at 8.4 boards per. Javonte Maynor is one of the Runners top 3-point shooters. He is the active 3-point leader in the WAC in 3-pointers made with 171.
Potential Star: Jerome Simmons came off the bench to score six points on 3-for-3 shooting at the University of South Carolina on Tuesday. The Aggies will need his presence against a good frontline from CSU Bakersfield.
News & Notes:
- A&T’s Bruce Beckford and CSU Bakersfield’s Javonte Maynor are the only two players remaining from the 2012 game between the Aggies and the Runners.
- Beckford had eight points on 3-for-5 shooting in 15 minutes played. Maynor was 7-for-13 from the floor and 5-for-10 from 3-point range to score 19 points in the 60-52 Bakersfield win in California.
- The Aggies are 7-4 against non-conference Division I opponents at Corbett Sports Center in the past 10 seasons. One of those losses was against WAC school Utah Valley.
COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION