Alston scores 18 as North Carolina A&T finishes strong to beat South Carolina State 67-58

NC A&T pulls away from South Carolina St. 67-58

ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Tavarus Alston scored 18 points and North Carolina A&T pulled away late to defeat South Carolina State 67-58 on Saturday after losing a 12-point lead.

The Aggies (6-13, 2-4 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) closed the first half with a 15-6 run for a 36-27 lead, and Alston’s 3-pointer to start the second half increased the margin to 12.

The Bulldogs (8-8, 2-3) battled back for a tie at 48 with 10:02 remaining after consecutive tip-ins by Arsenio Williams.

North Carolina A&T made its next five shots from the field, starting with Nic Simpson’s 3-pointer with 9:44 left that began a 15-3 run to make it 63-51 at the 3:50 mark. The Aggies made seven of their final eight shots from the field.

Dwane Joshua scored 12 points and Simpson 11 for the Aggles.

Jason Flagler led South Carolina State with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Darnell Porter had 17 points and seven rebounds.