August 23, 2003
Sophomore guard Antoine Wright scored 39 points, including seven three-point field goals, to lead the Texas A&M basketball team to a 103-88 victory against Basket Castelletto here on Saturday.
The Aggies are 4-0 on their Italy tour and play their final game on Sunday against Treviglio.
A&M trailed, 27-26, after the first quarter, but Wright nailed a 15-foot jumper with three seconds left in the second to hand the Aggies a 49-48 halftime lead. Senior forward Jesse King, who finished with 17 points, made a trio of three-pointers in the third quarter to stave off a Castelletto charge and A&M took an 80-71 lead into the final period.
A pair of three-pointers by Wright spurred a 12-0 A&M run to start the fourth quarter and give the Aggies their biggest lead of the game at 92-71. Castelletto pulled within 11 at 98-87 with two minutes left but a layup and free throw by Wright in the final minute sealed the win.
"It was the toughest game we've had over here," A&M associate head coach Lew Hill said. "Our defense was non-existent in the first half but when we had to turn it up in the second half, we did. We played tough and smart down the stretch and that's why we were able to pull away."
Wright and King also added 10 rebounds each for the Aggies, who finished with 23 offensive boards. Sophomore forward Luis Clemente chipped in 13 points, while senior guard Kevin Turner scored 12. Senior center Andy Slocum had a game-high 11 rebounds and scored seven points.
Castelletto was led by Roberto Cazzaniga with 20 points and Flavio Portaluppi, who added 19.