Sean Booker scored 29 points to lead host North Carolina A&T past High Point, 77-68, in men's basketball action Tuesday night in the Corbett Center.

The Aggies (1-4) claimed their first win of the season, while the Panthers returned from their 8,000-mile round-trip journey to the Great Alaska Shootout on an unhappy note and fell to 1-4 on the year.

Danny Gathings tallied 21 points and 14 rebounds for HPU, which turned the ball over 25 times.

In a game which featured 18 lead changes, the Panthers led 35-33 at the half and rallied from a 58-49 deficit with a 10-0 run midway through the second stanza. Gathings provided eight of HPU's 10 points in the run, which ended with a layup to give the Panthers a 59-58 advantage with 7:20 to play.

But Booker, who shot 11-of-24 from the field and was the only Aggie in double-figures, answered back with a three-pointer at the 6:57 mark to push A&T back ahead, 61-59. The Aggies wouldn't trail again.

HPU pulled within 61-60 following a free throw by Landon Quick with 6:20 left, but Rechodd Carter drained a three-pointer and Greg Roberts hit a pair of free throws to keep the Aggies ahead, 66-60, with 4:51 to play.

Despite missing seven of their final 10 free throws down the stretch, the Panthers chipped away and pulled within 69-66 when Gathings stole the ball and fed Akeem Scott, who converted a layup with 2:02 left.

After A&T's Leslie Powell broke through for a layup, Jerry Echenique missed a short shot for the Panthers, but Gathings was there for the tip-in to keep the Panthers within 71-68 with 1:07 to go.

Needing a defensive stop, the Panthers got Carter to miss a three-pointer with 42 seconds left, but Booker was there to put back the missed shot to increase the Aggies' lead to 73-68. And after a Titus Byrd missed a trey at the other end, Booker iced things with a layup with 26.9 seconds to play. A pair of late Steven Koger free throws completed the scoring.

Echenique (10 points) joined Gathings in double-figures for HPU, while Quick tallied a season-high nine points. Patrick Hilliman had seven points and five rebounds in 14 minutes of action for the Panthers, who outshot A&T 45 percent to 39 percent from the field, but lost the battle of the boards by a 46-40 count. The Aggies swiped twice as many offensive rebounds (20-10).

A&T got nine points apiece from Carter and Roberts, and overcame 21 turnovers to post its first win over High Point since the 1975-76 season.

High Point, which has dropped four straight for the first time since the 2002-03 campaign, hosts Greensboro College Thursday in the Millis Center (7:00 pm). Fans bringing a new, unwrapped toy for Fox 8's Gifts For Kids program will receive $2 off a game ticket.

To see the game notes for the HPU/GC contest, click the link below.