Jimcs50
01-13-2005, 09:01 AM
Jan. 13, 2005, 1:46AM
A&M puts the hurt on 10th-ranked Texas
Win is Aggies' first over team in top 10 since '82
By NEIL HOHLFELD
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
Associated Press
A&M's Dominique Kirk shoots over Texas' P.J. Tucker for a basket in the first half.
COLLEGE STATION - Considering the distinct height advantage Texas had over Texas A&M, the feeling before Wednesday night's game was that the Aggies needed to stay out of foul trouble to have a chance.
If they didn't, the game would be just another in a series of double-digit wins by the Longhorns.
The Aggies didn't stay out of foul trouble. And, indeed, it was a blowout.
Just not the way anyone expected.
The Aggies beat No. 10 Texas 74-63 to snap a 20-game losing streak in the Big 12.
Though leading scorer Antoine Wright played only five minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, Texas A&M grabbed a double-digit lead late in the first half and was ahead by 15 points after 20 minutes.
The Aggies (12-1, 1-1 Big 12) led by as many as 22 points in the second half. Texas made a couple of mild rallies but never got closer than nine points.
After the game, several thousand of a record crowd of 12,811 at Reed Arena rushed the court to celebrate the Aggies' first win over Texas at home since 1994.
The win was A&M's first against a Top 10 team since it beat No. 5 Texas in 1982. Also, it was only A&M's fourth win against a Top 10 team and its first in a home game.
"It's not just a win; it's a win against a great team," said coach Billy Gillispie, who has the Aggies' rebuilding far ahead of schedule in his first year. "This win means a ton to us."
To date, it was surely the highlight of sophomore guard Acie Law's career. With Wright on the bench for nearly half the game, Law took control. He had 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting and six assists.
"Since it's the first conference victory, you know I feel real good," said Law. "Even better, it's a Top 10 team. But when you work as hard as we do in practice, anything is possible."
The Longhorns (12-3, 1-1) had a dreadful shooting game, hitting only 32.3 percent from the field overall and 21.2 percent in the first half.
"A&M was terrific from the very beginning," said Texas coach Rick Barnes. "I can analyze a lot of things, but from the beginning, they got control of the game. All the credit goes to A&M."
The Aggies led 37-22 at halftime. In addition to the 15-point margin, there were other eye-catching numbers.
First, the Aggies outscored Texas 10-8 in the paint. Though Texas had a distinct height advantage underneath, it had only a 22-21 edge in rebounds.
Wright, A&M's top scorer this season, had zero points in the first half, having picked up two fouls in the first 1:45.
With Wright on the bench, Law took the game over. He had two points in the first 10 minutes and scored 11 the rest of the first half. In addition to his 13 points, Law had five assists.
The Longhorns had no points in the half from either 6-8 forward Brad Buckman or 6-9 forward Jason Klotz, who combined to go 0-for-8. Part of it was the presence of 6-9 A&M freshman Joseph Jones, who finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds and made it clear the Aggies were not going to be pushed around inside.
"They played really good defense, but we missed a lot of shots," said Klotz, who finished with four points on 1-of-9 shooting. "We missed a lot of shots that we usually make."
Perhaps Law's biggest basket came with 3:43 to play. A pair of 3-pointers by Buckman and Kenny Taylor had cut the A&M lead to 60-50. A&M's Bobby Leach missed the rim on a long-range jumper that was fumbled out of bounds.
The Aggies got the ball back but with only two seconds left on the 35-second shot clock. The ball was lobbed to Law, who fired in a 3-pointer to give A&M a 63-50 lead.
"The ship was sinking in a hurry," Gillispie said. "Acie made that shot, and it was a really big shot in his career, but don't overlook the screen that Antoine set for him on that play."
The Longhorns battled to the end behind 18 points by P.J. Tucker, but they were never able to get closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
When the buzzer sounded, Law hurled the ball into the air and braced for the fans as they rushed the court.
"Man, I loved the way the crowd came out on the court," Law said. "That was something to remember. I never could have imagined it."
A&M puts the hurt on 10th-ranked Texas
Win is Aggies' first over team in top 10 since '82
By NEIL HOHLFELD
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
Associated Press
A&M's Dominique Kirk shoots over Texas' P.J. Tucker for a basket in the first half.
COLLEGE STATION - Considering the distinct height advantage Texas had over Texas A&M, the feeling before Wednesday night's game was that the Aggies needed to stay out of foul trouble to have a chance.
If they didn't, the game would be just another in a series of double-digit wins by the Longhorns.
The Aggies didn't stay out of foul trouble. And, indeed, it was a blowout.
Just not the way anyone expected.
The Aggies beat No. 10 Texas 74-63 to snap a 20-game losing streak in the Big 12.
Though leading scorer Antoine Wright played only five minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, Texas A&M grabbed a double-digit lead late in the first half and was ahead by 15 points after 20 minutes.
The Aggies (12-1, 1-1 Big 12) led by as many as 22 points in the second half. Texas made a couple of mild rallies but never got closer than nine points.
After the game, several thousand of a record crowd of 12,811 at Reed Arena rushed the court to celebrate the Aggies' first win over Texas at home since 1994.
The win was A&M's first against a Top 10 team since it beat No. 5 Texas in 1982. Also, it was only A&M's fourth win against a Top 10 team and its first in a home game.
"It's not just a win; it's a win against a great team," said coach Billy Gillispie, who has the Aggies' rebuilding far ahead of schedule in his first year. "This win means a ton to us."
To date, it was surely the highlight of sophomore guard Acie Law's career. With Wright on the bench for nearly half the game, Law took control. He had 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting and six assists.
"Since it's the first conference victory, you know I feel real good," said Law. "Even better, it's a Top 10 team. But when you work as hard as we do in practice, anything is possible."
The Longhorns (12-3, 1-1) had a dreadful shooting game, hitting only 32.3 percent from the field overall and 21.2 percent in the first half.
"A&M was terrific from the very beginning," said Texas coach Rick Barnes. "I can analyze a lot of things, but from the beginning, they got control of the game. All the credit goes to A&M."
The Aggies led 37-22 at halftime. In addition to the 15-point margin, there were other eye-catching numbers.
First, the Aggies outscored Texas 10-8 in the paint. Though Texas had a distinct height advantage underneath, it had only a 22-21 edge in rebounds.
Wright, A&M's top scorer this season, had zero points in the first half, having picked up two fouls in the first 1:45.
With Wright on the bench, Law took the game over. He had two points in the first 10 minutes and scored 11 the rest of the first half. In addition to his 13 points, Law had five assists.
The Longhorns had no points in the half from either 6-8 forward Brad Buckman or 6-9 forward Jason Klotz, who combined to go 0-for-8. Part of it was the presence of 6-9 A&M freshman Joseph Jones, who finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds and made it clear the Aggies were not going to be pushed around inside.
"They played really good defense, but we missed a lot of shots," said Klotz, who finished with four points on 1-of-9 shooting. "We missed a lot of shots that we usually make."
Perhaps Law's biggest basket came with 3:43 to play. A pair of 3-pointers by Buckman and Kenny Taylor had cut the A&M lead to 60-50. A&M's Bobby Leach missed the rim on a long-range jumper that was fumbled out of bounds.
The Aggies got the ball back but with only two seconds left on the 35-second shot clock. The ball was lobbed to Law, who fired in a 3-pointer to give A&M a 63-50 lead.
"The ship was sinking in a hurry," Gillispie said. "Acie made that shot, and it was a really big shot in his career, but don't overlook the screen that Antoine set for him on that play."
The Longhorns battled to the end behind 18 points by P.J. Tucker, but they were never able to get closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
When the buzzer sounded, Law hurled the ball into the air and braced for the fans as they rushed the court.
"Man, I loved the way the crowd came out on the court," Law said. "That was something to remember. I never could have imagined it."