(GREENSBORO, N.C.) — The Pride men’s basketball team hung tough for much of the night but could not slow down Division I North Carolina A&T in an 83-52 exhibition defeat on Friday night. (Note: Friday’s game was a regular season game for North Carolina A&T)
Greensboro started quickly in this one, jumping out to a 5-2 lead behind a three pointer by Brian Thomas and a jumper by Luqman Tijani. The Aggies responded with a run of their own to grab a 28-16 lead at the midway point of the first half.
Tijani helped The Pride fight back, scoring five points to spark an 8-2 run that narrowed the deficit to 30-24 with 7:49 showing on the first half clock.
North Carolina A&T regained control with seven unanswered points, highlighted by a dunk by Adrian Powell, to push the margin to 37-26 with 5:01 remaining in the frame. The Aggies would close out the half with a 45-30 lead.
In the second half, North Carolina A&T would slowly add to the lead, putting Greensboro away for good en route to the 83-52 final.
Tijani powered The Pride offense with a game high 29 points on 10-14 shooting in the defeat. He also recorded five steals on the defensive end. Chakiris Moss grabbed a team high eight rebounds.
Greensboro will open the 2012-13 regular season on November 16 against Virginia-Lynchburg at the Averett University Classic. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.