WASHINGTON -- James Miller had 17 points and James Carlton added 12 points and 12 rebounds as Howard opened Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play with a 54-47 victory over North Carolina A&T on Saturday.

NC A&T held a 38-36 lead with 12:33 left in the game when Miller drove for a layup to start a 12-2 run and a 48-40 lead at the 6:37 mark, and then held on for the win.

Howard (5-4, 1-0) overwhelmed the Aggies in the paint, 34-16 and grabbed 38 boards compared to 29 for NC A&T.

The Aggies (1-8, 0-1) held James Daniel III, Howard's leading scorer this season (averaging 16.2 points a game), to a career-low four points.

The other Bisons took up the slack, making 19 of 42 field goal attempts (45.2 percent) while holding NC A&T to 14-of-53 shooting (26.4 percent) from the floor.

Bruce Beckford led the Aggies with 19 points.