The North Carolina A&T Aggies men’s basketball team started off the Big South Tournament with a bang after earning a 78-71 win over Radford in overtime. N.C. A&T will advance on to face the top-seeded Longwood Lancers on Friday in the quarterfinals. Tip-off is set for noon and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
The Aggies held a 16 point lead towards the end of the first half. The Highlanders battled back after an offensive outpour to force overtime. Sophomore guard Marcus Watson took over for the Aggies after regulation. Watson scored the first seven points in overtime to put N.C. A&T up 67-60. The Aggies cruised to the win from there.
Marcus Watson led the Aggies in scoring with 18 points. Watson added 11 rebounds for a double-double performance topped off with three assists. Junior forward Jeremy Robinson poured in 17 points of his own. The North Carolina native also contributed three rebounds and a steal. The Aggies had a very productive shooting night as they landed over 40 percent of their three-point attempts. The team shot 47 percent from the field overall.
Radford was held to a mere 18 percent shooting from beyond the arc as the Aggies locked them down on the perimeter. The NCAT defense shined today with six steals and three blocks as a unit. Senior guard Josiah Jeffers was the leading scorer for the Radford Highlanders with 18 points.