Texas A&M
Missouri
Aggies Fall at Missouri, 82-77
Jan 10, 2004 | Men's Basketball
January 10, 2004
Arthur Johnson had 19 points, 12 rebounds and a key blocked shot to lead Missouri to an 82-77 win over Texas A&M on Saturday.
Rickey Paulding added 16 points for Missouri (6-5, 1-1 Big 12), which won for just the second time in its last six games after being ranked as high as No. 3.
The Aggies (7-5, 0-1) dropped to 2-10 against Missouri and are 0-5 against the Tigers in Columbia.
Texas A&M trailed 71-58 with 4:46 to go, when Travon Bryant hit two free throws for Missouri, but the Aggies made it close with a late run.
Acie Law's 3-pointer got the Aggies within 76-71 with 1:04 left, and his basket with 14.6 seconds remaining cut the margin to 81-77.
After Missouri called time, Antoine Wright fouled the Tigers' Jimmy McKinney on the inbounds play.
McKinney, who finished with 12 points, hit the first of his two free throws with 14.1 seconds left and Johnson blocked Wright's layup attempt with 3.8 seconds to go.
Kevin Turner led the Aggies with 14 points. Wright and Jesse King added 14 points each, Andy Slocum had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Leandro Garcia-Morales finished with 10 points.
Texas A&M led 42-41 on Turner's 3-point shot with 16:12 left in the game, but Missouri responded with a 20-6 run for a 61-48 lead with 8˝ minutes remaining.
Freshman Thomas Gardner started the Tigers' surge with a 3-point play and later added a 3-pointer that made it 54-44 with 12:24 to go. Another freshman, Linas Kleiza, capped the run with four straight points.
Texas A&M missed six of its first seven shots in the game and trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half but stayed close with five 3-pointers and a 19-17 rebounding edge before the break.
Missouri led 27-17 on Paulding's 3-point play with just over five minutes left in the first half, but then didn't manage a field goal for the next 3˝ minutes.
The Aggies hit three 3-pointers in a 13-1 run that put them up 30-28 with 1:45 left, but Johnson scored two inside baskets down the stretch to put the Tigers up 34-31 at the half.
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