August 20, 1998
Bayer-Leverkusen held off a late Texas A&M rally and went on to a 76-63 victory against the Aggies Thursday night.
Leverkusen, the defending German champions, led 62-49 with less than 10 minutes left in the game, but A&M answered with seven unanswered points to trim the margin to 62-56 with 6:26 remaining.
However, Leverkusen made three consecutive three-pointers to regain the momentum with a 71-56 lead, its biggest of the game. The Aggies could pull no closer than nine points in the final minute.
"I thought our execution was much better tonight as well as our half-court offense and that's why we were able to stay in the game, " A&M coach Melvin Watkins said. "We had a much better practice on Wednesday and came out tonight and showed some improvement. That is a really good feeling for our coaching staff."
Leverkusen took an early 17-5 lead and appeared poised for a rout, but the pesky Aggies battled back with eight straight points to cut the lead to 17-13 midway through the first half. Leverkusen went on to lead 40-30 at halftime.
The Aggies struggled from the free throw line, making just 34.6 percent (9-26), while Leverkusen made 84.2 percent (16-19). In three games on their European tour, the Aggies have made just 44.8 percent from the free throw line (30-67).
"Once again our lack of free throw shooting hurt us," Watkins said. "We are very concerned about that, and it is an area we will have to work on."
Senior Shanne Jones led the Aggies with 18 points on 8-11 shooting and added nine rebounds. Sophomore Aaron Jack scored 16 points with 10 rebounds, his second double-double of the tour. Jack also added a team high five assists, while senior Chris Clayton scored 10 points.
"A.J. has been playing consistently well," Watkins said. "Usually when you work hard in practice, it carries over to games. A.J.'s been working very hard. If we had some more bodies, he would be even more effective because he could have some rest."
Leverkusen was led by Waco native and former University of Arkansas player Lee Wilson, who scored 19 points. Garrit Terdence scored 13 points and former University of Minnesota standout Walter Bond added 12 points. Last week, Bayer Leverkusen defeated the Amsterdam "Ricoh" Astronauts, 86-66. The Astronauts whipped A&M, 75-50, on Monday.
A&M connected for 43.1 percent from the field (25-58) and 25 percent from three-point range (4-16). In addition, the Aggies handed out 17 assists with only 12 turnovers and 12 steals.
The Aggies return to action on Friday against Telekom Basket Bonn at 8 p.m. (1 p.m. CDT) in Bonn, Germany. A&M closes its five-game European tour on Sunday against Brandt- Hagen in Hagen, Germany before returning to College Station on Tuesday.
Texas A&M (63)
Clayton 4-14 0-0 10, Schmidt 1-3 0-0 2, Jack 6-14 4-12 16, Jones 8-11
2-6 18, T. Brown 2-5 1-4 6, Richards 0-0 2-2 2, J. Brown 4-11 0-2 9.
Team totals: 25-58 9-26 63.
Bayer Leverkusen (76)
(points only)
Bond 12, Kovacev 2, Pratesi 8, Terdence 13, Deppisch 9, Wilson 19,
Taylor 9, Malbeck 4, Team totals: (27 FG, 16-19 FT,) 76.
Halftime score - B-L 40, A&M 30. Fouled out - Jones, Wilson. Total
Fouls - B-L 18, A&M 17. Three point field goals - B-L 6 (Bond 3,
Tredence 3), A&M 4-16 (Clayton 2-9, J. Brown 1- 2, T. Brown 1-3).
Rebounds - A&M 31 (Jack 10). Assists - A&M 17 (Jack 5, T. Brown 5).
Turnovers - A&M 12 (T. Brown 3). Blocks - A&M 2 (Schmidt, Jack).
Steals - A&M 12 (Schmidt 3, T. Brown 3).