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GREENSBORO — Will N.C. A&T have another February winning streak like last season?

The Aggies tried to answer that question Saturday afternoon with a 65-54 win over Delaware State, a team that was in second place in the MEAC coming in. The Aggies (8-15, 4-5) were able to overcome 20 turnovers because of shooting 56 percent from the floor, including 8-for-14 from 3-point range.

"When the ball goes in the basket we can compete with anybody," Eaves said. "We needed an effort for 40 minutes tonight and we got that. This is a very good team we've just had a hard time shooting the ball at home. We just have to continue to make shots like this."

The Aggies played aggressive in their man-to-man defense and kept the Hornets best outside shooter, Chad Wilson, from getting hot. He was guarded for most of the game by freshman forward Austin Witter. Wilson finished the game shooting 3-for-13.

"It was just a huge defensive effort," Eaves said. "Wilson was making 40 percent of his 3-pointers."

Eaves was also pleased with the fact that A&T outrebounded Delaware State 37-31. Eaves used both his centers, Thomas Coleman and James Porter, for much of the second half and it paid dividends. Coleman finished with 11 rebounds. Porter added seven rebounds and two blocked shots in 18 minutes.

"We're going to continue to play the two bigs together," Eaves said. "We did a much better job on the offensive glass. They still got 18 offensive rebounds, but a lot of those were loose balls that were tipped around."

When Delaware State cut the lead to 52-44, Robert Johnson made a 3-pointer from the corner to help the A&T regain control. Johnson finished with a game-high 17 points.

"At first I wasn't going to pull it, but I knew we needed a basket there," Johnson said. "We came in with a lot more confidence in our shooting because we've been spending extra time in practice on it. We were just more focused today."

When the Hornets (11-9, 6-3) stepped up their full-court press in the final 3 minutes, the Aggies found a way to break the pressure with Coleman dunking on two straight trips down the floor to help A&T put the game away.

The Aggies committed 12 turnovers in the first half, but shot 53 percent from the floor and were 5-for-9 from behind the 3-point arc. A&T also held the Hornets to 36 percent shooting and outrebounded them by a margin of 16-14.

DELAWARE STATE (11-9) — Smith 3-5 0-0 6, Sandidge 3-8 1-2 7, Wilson 3-13 0-0 8, Threatt 1-3 0-0 2, Neal 6-17 0-2 16, Welcher 2-6 0-0 4, Baylor 1-6 1-2 3, Stowe 2-2 0-1 4, M.Oliver 2-3 0-0 4, Douse 0-0 0-0 0, Bell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-63 2-7 54.

N.C. A&T (8-15) — Witter 2-4 0-0 6, Johnson 6-6 3-4 17, Coleman 4-8 2-3 10, Alston 5-8 1-4 11, Joshua 5-7 2-2 16, Smith 0-1 0-0 0, Hill 0-1 0-0 0, Simpson 0-2 3-3 3, Porter 1-4 0-4 2. Totals 23-41 11-20 65.

Halftime—N.C. A&T 30-26.
3-point goals—Delaware St. 6-28 (Neal 4-10, Wilson 2-10, Threatt 0-2, Sandidge 0-3, Baylor 0-3), N.C. A&T 8-14 (Joshua 4-5, Johnson 2-2, Witter 2-4, Hill 0-1, Simpson 0-1, Alston 0-1).
Fouled out—None.
Rebounds—Delaware St. 31 (M.Oliver 10), N.C. A&T 37 (Coleman 11).
Assists—Delaware St. 11 (Threatt 4), N.C. A&T 18 (Alston, Coleman, Joshua 4).
Total fouls—Delaware St. 18, N.C. A&T 12.
A—1,889.