Texas A&M
VCU
VCU Outlasts A&M in Wild Contest, 107-106
Dec 02, 2000 | Men's Basketball
December 02, 2000
In one of the wildest games in school history, Texas A&M lost to Virginia Commonwealth, 107-106, in double overtime Saturday night at the ALLTEL Pavilion.
The teams combined for 45 points in the second overtime, setting an NCAA record. The previous record was 41 points set by Vermont (26) and Hartford (15) three seasons ago. A&M?™s record drops to 2-3 while VCU improves to 4-2.
The Aggies (2-3) trailed by as many as nine points early in the second half, but rallied to take a 55-53 lead with 8:03 left in regulation. The lead changed hands several times in the waning minutes, but a pair of Aaron Jack free throws handed the Aggies a 74-71 lead with 38 seconds left.
A&M appeared the have the game in hand after rebounding a VCU miss with less than 20 seconds remaining, but the Rams?™ Bo Jones stole the ball and passed to Willie Taylor, whose slam dunk cut the lead to 74-73 with 13 seconds left.
The Aggies committed another costly error in switching the trigger man on the inbounds play. Bernard King, feigning an inbounds pass, tossed the ball down the baseline to an Andy Leatherman, who was then supposed to throw a quick inbounds pass. But King threw the pass too quickly and Leatherman caught it on the baseline, coming down out of bounds and turning the ball over to VCU.
Jones handed VCU the lead on the following play, making a layup on the inbounds pass and drawing a foul from Keith Bean. Jones made the free throw for a 76-74 lead with 10 seconds left.
A&M?™s Jamaal Gilchrist dribbled the length of the court and tried to drive the lane, but was fouled by Josh Graham with 2.9 seconds left. Gilchrist missed the first free throw, but was handed a reprieve when VCU was whistled for a lane violation. Gilchrist responded by making both free throws to tie the score at 76-76 and send the game into overtime.
The Aggies built an 84-81 lead in the initial overtime when King hit a spinning jumper in the lane with 23 seconds left. But VCU?™s Jones, who finished with a game-high 29 points, responded with a deep three-pointer from the top of the key to tie the game, 84-84, with just 13 seconds left.
Gilchrist again went coast-to-coast on the Aggies next possession and attempted to drive the lane and draw a foul. But the Rams played solid defense, denying Gilchrist an open shot as time expired.
VCU took charge in the second overtime, building a 102-92 lead with less than a minute left. The Aggies mounted a valiant comeback, making four three-point field goals in the final 35 seconds, but the Rams held A&M off by making 5-of-8 free throws down the stretch.
King nailed a three-pointer with 5.7 second left to trim the lead to 105-103, but Taylor responded with a pair of free throws, giving the Rams an insurmountable 107-103 lead. King hit another three-pointer at the buzzer to provide the final margin.
King led A&M with 22 points, while senior Carlton Brown scored 20 points with a career-high 18 rebounds. Bean added a career-high 17 points, Gilchrist finished with 15 and Anderson scored 11 points with 10 rebounds, both career bests.
The Aggies dominated the boards, 54-37, but committed a whopping 36 fouls, the second most in school history. Five Aggies fouled out, including four starters. The Rams took advantage by making 34-of-51 free throws. The Aggies were stellar at the free throw line, making 31-of-36, including 19 straight after halftime. A&M trailed, 38-32, at intermission.
"I was really proud of our kids' effort," A&M coach Melvin Watkins said. "We didn't quit. We knew coming in that this would be a tough place to play. We had our chances in regulation, but couldn't make a play down the stretch. We are still young, but we're growing up in a hurry."
A&M returns to action against Lamar on Tuesday at Reed Arena (7 p.m.), the Aggies?™ final home game until Jan. 4 against Centenary.
