NC A&T Aggies 79, Hofstra 78
NC A&T was winless in CAA play, losers of six straight, and down 13 at the half against a Hofstra team with wins over Pitt and Syracuse. The Pride shot 53% and went 10-for-17 from three in the first half. Cruz Davis had 20 before the break. Jaeden Roberts was 5-of-6 from deep off the bench. Hofstra didn't turn the ball over once in the first 20 minutes.
None of it mattered.
Second-Half Flip
Monté Ross challenged his team at halftime to take away the three and make Hofstra put the ball on the deck. A&T opened the second half with a 13-0 run, cutting it to two in six minutes. The Corbett crowd — near capacity on Greek Night — did the rest.
Hofstra pushed it back to seven, but A&T kept coming. Lewis Walker tied it at 65 on a turnaround baseline jumper. Trent Middleton Jr. answered with a pull-up three for A&T's first lead since the first half. An Amadou Doumbia tip-in made it a five-point cushion. The team that gave up 53 first-half points held Hofstra to just 25 after the break.
The Finish
Under three minutes, Davis hit a three-point play to cut it to one. Roberts tied it with a free throw. Walker put A&T back up two. Davis answered at the line to knot it again.
With 3.9 seconds left, Middleton drove the lane and drew a foul from Silas Sunday. Missed the first free throw. Made the second. Biggie Patterson's three at the buzzer sailed long. Aggies 79, Hofstra 78.
Stat Sheet
NC A&T (8-10, 1-6 CAA)
- Lewis Walker: 24 pts, 7 reb, 8-8 FT
- Trent Middleton Jr.: 20 pts, game-winning free throw
- Zamoku Weluche-Ume: 16 pts, 10 reb (fifth double-double in seven games)
Hofstra (13-7, 4-3 CAA)
- Cruz Davis: 30 pts, 4 ast (fourth 30-point game this season)
- Preston Edmead: 20 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast
- Jaeden Roberts: 20 pts (career high), 5-of-7 from three
A&T won the glass 45-30 and snapped a six-game skid for their first conference win. Hofstra has now dropped three straight.
