Texas A&M
TEXAS-PERMIAN BASIN
Aggies Thump UT-Permian Basin, 98-36
Nov 27, 2004 | Men's Basketball
November 27, 2004
Three Texas A&M players posted double-doubles as the Aggies whipped Texas-Permian Basin, 98-36, on Saturday. The 62-point margin of victory was the largest in A&M history.
The win improved the Aggies to 3-0, while UTPB fell to 0-6.
A&M's previous largest victory margin was 57 points (95-38) against Centenary in 1958-59. UTPB's 36 points were the fewest allowed by the Aggies since a 73-29 win against Texas in 1958-59.
Sophomore Acie Law led the Aggies with 18 points and a career-high 11 assists, while junior Antoine Wright added 17 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Joseph Jones had 12 points and 13 rebounds, his second double-double in three games. Also scoring in double figures for the Aggies were junior Chris Walker with 12 and freshman Dominiqie Kirk with 11.
Mario Saunders led UTPB, a third-year NAIA program, with 16 points.
A&M connected on 52.9 percent from the field to 20.8 percent by the Falcons, the lowest by an opponent in school history. A&M also posted a 55-30 rebounding edge and forced 22 turnovers. UTPB was 1-of-15 from three-point range.
A&M led, 44-18, at halftime.
The Aggies play host to Oakland (Mich.) University on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Reed Arena. A win would hand first-year head coach Billy Gillispie the best start by an Aggie coach since H.R. McQuillan began his A&M career with a 4-0 mark in 1935-36.
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TEXAS A&M VS. UT-PERMIAN BASIN
Nov. 27, 2004 * Reed Arena (College Station, Texas)
Postgame Quotes & Notes
UTPB COACH BILLY MIMS: "It was a great experience and I thank coach Gillispie for letting us come play. I took this team over in hopes of turning it around. We have to take little steps. I thought we wouls compete and I thought we were capable of coming in and competing. I saw character in A&M's young team. I was impressed. They stepped up and played with confidence."
TEXAS A&M SOPHOMORE ACIE LAW: "We can build on a win like this. It gives us confidence. Our school shows us a lot of support. It helps our team a lot ond it builds a home court advantage. We're not worried about our stats. It's no about double-doubles; it's about a victory. I think we're a very talented team."
TEXAS A&M FRESHMAN JOSEPH JONES: "Coach says no matter what the point margin is, we have to keep playing hard. If you have a good defense, you're offense will come. We played real hard and we tried to cut down on fouls this game."
TEXAS A&M COACH BILLY GILLISPIE: "It's fun to win. We're getting better. I see our guys getting their hands up in the defensive lanes. I'm really encouraged by today's game and was really excited baout the margin of victory. Everybody's tring to fight for playing time. We have to set a higher standard. I was excited everyone got to play and was proud of everyone who played. We're trying to learn and I'm excited about the direction we're headed. Chris Walker gave a us a real boost. We've been a real slow-starting team. When he came in, he gave us a real boost. We've got to figure out how to get off to a better start. Antoine (Wright) has been by far our best leader. I'd heard he was a selfish guy and that's so far from the truth. He wants Texas A&M to win. That's the reason I coach. On the court, I think he's playing too unselfish. But he's been great for the other guys."
A&M NOTES:
*Today's 62-point margin of victory was the largest in A&M history. The previous high was 57 points (95-38) against Centenary in 1958-59.
*UTPB's 36 points were the fewest by an A&M opponent since 1958-59, when the Aggies beat Texas, 73-29, at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
*UTPB made just 20.8 percent from the field (11-53), the lowest field goal percentage ever against the Aggies. The previous low was 22.4 percent (19-85) by Maryland-Eastern Shore in 1997-98.
*A&M had nine blocked shots, its most since it had a school record 11 against Maryland-Eastern Shore in 1997-98.
*The Aggies made 11 three-pointers, tying for seventh most in school history.
Best Coaching Starts at A&M
1. Tubby Graves (1915-16) 11-0
2. D.X. Bible (1920-21) 6-0
3. H.R. McQuillan (1935-36) 4-0
4. Billy Gillispie (2004-05) 3-0
F.D. Steger (1912-13) 3-0
J.B. Reid (1929-30) 3-0
Melvin Watkins (1998-99) 3-0
*Freshman Joseph Jones posted his second double-double in three games with a career-high 12 points and a career-best 13 rebounds.
*Sophomore Acie Law posted his first career double-double, scoring 18 points with a career-high 11 assists. His previous best for assists was 10 last year against Baylor at Reed Arena. Law also added six rebounds and three steals.
*Junior Antoine Wright scored 17 points with 10 rebounds, his eighth career double-double.
*Sophomore Marlon Pompey posted a career-high 4 blocked shots.
*Junior Chris Walker scored a Div. I career-high 12 points and added five rebounds and three assists. Walker scored 28 points in a Div. III game against Louisiana College as a freshman at UT-Dallas in 2001-02.
*Freshman Dominique Kirk scored a career-high 11 points, his second straight game in double figures.
