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GREENSBORO — Michael Deloach was determined to ruin senior night at N.C. A&T and the Aggies could do very little to stop him.

Deloach, a senior for Norfolk State from Rocky Mount, scored a career-high 37 points and Brandon Wheeless sank two free throws with 2.8 seconds to play to help the Spartans to a 67-66 win over the Aggies.

After Deloach missed a short shot in the final seconds, there was a mad scramble for the ball and Wheeless ended up with it under the basket. He was fouled during the melee and sank the free throws, his only points of the game.

The win put an end to a frustrating regular-season for A&T (10-21, 6-10 MEAC), which struggled most of the season to find a consistent shooter and lost several close games in the final few minutes.

"I really feel sorry for my seniors," A&T coach Jerry Eaves said. "It has been a very frustrating year for them. Some of it was self-inflicted. This is three games in a row where someone has had a career game on us."

The Aggies built a 21-point lead in the first half, but Deloach and the Spartans chipped away in the second half. A&T tried a variety of defenders on Deloach, but he was not going to be denied in his last regular-season trip to his home state.

"Actually, I had to take over," Deloach said. "I had never won here and I had a lot of family and my former high school teammates. We needed this win going into the tournament."

With the Aggies leading 40-25 at halftime, the Spartans didn't waste time cutting into the lead. They opened with a 11-5 run, cutting the deficit to 36-45. Norfolk State's Aleek Pauline hit a 3-pointer, sandwiched between two Deloach layups, and the Spartans only trailed 46-41.

Eaves said that it wasn't any one defender's fault that gave Deloach so many clean looks. He said the defensive rotation wasn't there in the second half.

"In the first half we built a wall," Eaves said. "We did a good job or stopping the dribble-penetration. The team would not totally commit to rotating (in the second half)."

Deloach continued his assault and a jumper with nine minutes left to cut the deficit to 52-50. The Aggies tried different defenders on Deloach, but he kept getting free. His 3-pointer tied the score at 59 and a couple of minutes later Kyle O'Quinn's two free throws gave the Spartans their first lead at 61-60 with 4:33 to go.

The only reason A&T stayed in the game was free throws.

NORFOLK STATE (11-18) — Zephyr 4-8 0-0 8, Wheeless 0-2 2-2 2, O'Quinn 2-9 2-2 6, Deloach 14-27 7-8 37, Pauline 3-6 3-4 10, Nixon 0-3 0-0 0, Dorsett-Jeffreys 2-2 0-0 4, Perry 0-2 0-0 0, Revels 0-0 0-0 0, Brown 0-0 0-0 0, Tamares 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 25-61 14-16 67.

N.C. A&T (10-21) — Witter 0-3 0-0 0, Johnson 2-8 5-7 10, Porter 3-7 0-1 6, Alston 5-13 0-0 11, Joshua 3-13 5-6 13, Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Hill 2-4 5-6 9, Simpson 3-6 5-6 13, Coleman 1-6 0-0 2, Upchurch 1-2 0-2 2. Totals 20-62 20-28 66.

Norfolk State 25 42 — 67
N.C. A&T 40 26 — 66

Percentages—Norfolk State (FG .410, FT .875), N.C. A&T (FG .323, FT .714).
3-point goals—Norfolk State 3-16 (Deloach 2-7, Pauline 1-2, Wheeless 0-1, Zephyr 0-1, Perry 0-1, Tamares 0-2, O'Quinn 0-2), N.C. A&T 6-27 (Simpson 2-4, Joshua 2-9, Johnson 1-4, Alston 1-5, Hill 0-2, Witter 0-3).
Fouled out—Joshua.
Rebounds—Norfolk State 45 (O'Quinn 12), N.C. A&T 41 (Porter 8).
Assists—Norfolk State 8 (Pauline 3), N.C. A&T 11 (Alston 4).
Blocked shots—Norfolk State 5 (O'Quinn 4), N.C. A&T 6 (Coleman 4).
Turnovers—Norfolk State 11 (Deloach 3, O'Quinn 3), N.C. A&T 7 (Alston 2, Coleman 2).
Steals—Norfolk State 4 (Deloach 2), N.C. A&T 6 (Alston 2).
Total fouls—Norfolk State 23, N.C. A&T 17.
Technical—Zephyr.
A—2,456.
Officials—William Covington Sr., Terry Moore, Alfred Smith.