August 23, 1998
Chris Clayton scored 34 points, including 10 three-point field goals, to lead Texas A&M to a 96-85 victory against Brandt-Hagen on Sunday, the final game of the Aggies' European tour.
Clayton's 10-of-14 performance from three-point range would have been a school record had it been an official game. As a team, A&M made 15-of-26 three-pointers, which also would have been a school record.
"You don't want to live and die with the three-pointer, but it was really nice to see all those shots go in," A&M coach Melvin Watkins said. "Chris has shot well the entire trip, so we gave him the green light."
Clayton made six-of-seven three-pointers in the first half as the Aggies claimed a 56-46 halftime lead. The Aggies led by as many as 14 points in the opening half.
Hagen closed to within 66-60 with 12:21 left in the game, but consecutive three-pointers by Michael Schmidt handed the Aggies a 72-60 advantage. A&M eventually led by as many as 18 points.
Shanne Jones quietly added 28 points and nine rebounds for A&M, while Aaron Jack scored nine points with a game high 14 rebounds. Schmidt and T.J. Brown each handed out nine assists and Jerald Brown scored 12 points.
"Shanne took a lot of good shots but I didn't realize he scored as many points as he did," Watkins said. "We'll take those numbers anytime."
Stephan Baeck led Brandt-Hagen with 25 points, while Oliver Herkelmann scored 18 and Arnd Neuhaus added 17. American Chuck Evans, a former player at Mississippi State, scored eight points with seven assists.
As a team, the Aggies made an even 50 percent from the field (35-of-70), 57.7 percent from three-point range (15-of-26) and 11-of-12 from the free throw line (91.7 percent). The Aggies also posted a 39-26 rebounding edge.
"I was more excited about our free throw shooting than I was with our three-point shooting," Watkins said. "We have shown a lot of improvement in that area."
A&M finished its five-game European tour with a 1-4 record against professional teams in Holland and Germany.
"I think we accomplished what we wanted to on this trip," Watkins said. "Number one, we came together as a team. Number two, we got to know each other better. We improved with each game and ended on a positive note with the win. We'll build on that and get ready for some real basketball this fall."
Clayton led A&M in scoring on the tour with a 20.6 average and made a blazing 58.1 percent (25-of-43) from three-point range. Jones averaged 19.6 points and 7.0 rebounds, while Jack added 11.0 points and 10.6 rebounds per contest.
"Chris Clayton has really been a surprise," Watkins said. "He really worked hard in the off season and is receiving the dividends. And I'm really pleased for Aaron Jack. He may have been our most consistent player on this trip. He feels good about how he played and so do the coaches."
After a day of sightseeing on Monday, the Aggies will return to College Station on Tuesday night.
TEXAS A&M (96) Clayton 12-17 0-0 34, Schmidt 3-4 0-0 8, Jack 4-12 1-1 9, Jones 10-16, 8-9 28, T.J. Brown 1-5 0-0 3, Richards 0-2 2-2 2, J. Brown 5-14 0-0 12. Team Totals 35-70 11-12 96. BRANDT-HAGEN (85) Evans 4-6 0-1 8, Kordyaka 0-2 2-2 2, Nordberg 3-6 0-0 7, Grubler 1-1 0-1 2, Grothe 2-2 0-0 5, Baeck 8-15 8-8 25, Neuhaus 7-16 2-2 17, Kruel 0-2 1-2 1, Herkelmann 5-8 8-13 18. Team Totals 30-58 21-29 85. Halftime score-- A&M 56, B-H 46. Total Fouls-- A&M 23, B-H 12. Fouled out-- None. Three-point Field Goals-- A&M 15-26 (Clayton 10-14, Schmidt 2-2, J. Brown 2-8, T.J. Brown 1-2), B-H 4-15 (Grothe 1-1, Nordberg 1-2, Baeck 1-4, Neuhaus 1-6, Kordyaka 0-1, Evans 0-1). Rebounds-- A&M 39 (Jack 14), B-H 26 (Herkelmann 10). Assists-- A&M 26 (Schmidt 9, T.J. Brown 9), B-H 15 (Evans 7). Turnovers-- B-H 15 (Evans 4), A&M 14 (Schmidt 4, Jack 4). Blocks-- B-H 4 (Herkelmann 2), A&M 2 (Jack, Richards). Steals-- A&M 11 (Jones 3), B-H 9 (Baeck 4). Technicals-- Schmidt.