Aggies Try to Regroup Against No. 22 Red Raiders
Feb 20, 2004 | Men's Basketball
February 20, 2004
GAME #23
Texas A&M Aggies
(7-15, 0-11 Big 12)
vs.
#22 Texas Tech Red Raiders
(18-7, 6-5 Big 12)
3 p.m. (CST)
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2004
United Spirit Arena (15,050 cap.)
Lubbock, Texas
RADIO:
Texas A&M Sports Network
Dave South, play-by-play
Colin Killian, commentary
Airtime: 2:40 p.m. (CST)
ONLINE: www.AggieAthletics.com
TELEVISION:
ESPN Regional
Dave Armstrong, play-by-play
Paul Splittorff, commentary
Still searching for their first Big 12 win of the season, the Texas A&M Aggies (7-15, 0-11 in Big 12) will battle the No. 22-ranked (AP, #23 by ESPN/USA Today) Texas Tech Red Raiders (18-7, 6-5 in Big 12) on Saturday at 3 p.m. (CST) at the United Spirit Arena (15,050 cap.) in Lubbock. The game will be televised regionally by ESPN Regional. The Aggies have had second-half leads in seven conference games and are coming off a tough 77-57 loss to No. 11 Texas on Wednesday in Austin. Tech is coming off an 85-75 loss at Colorado on Wednesday and has lost five of its last seven games. The Aggies are 2-8 in road games this season, while the Red Raiders are 12-1 at home. Tech leads the series, 58-50, but A&M is 2-2 at the United Spirit Arena. Tech beat the Aggies last month in College Station, 80-78.
About Texas Tech
The Red Raiders return three starters and nine lettermen from last year's team, which finished 22-13 overall and tied the Aggies for seventh in the Big 12 with a 6-10 mark. Tech went on a late-season run and finished third in the postseason NIT. The Red Raiders are in their third season under head coach Bob Knight. Tech opened the season with four straight wins in the preseason NIT, then lost consecutive games to Georgia Tech (85-65) in New York and at SMU (62-59). The Red Raiders then reeled off 12 straight wins, but have won only two of seven games since defeating A&M, 80-78, on Jan. 24 in College Station. Tech is led by senior guard Andre Emmett (6'5"), who leads the Big 12 in scoring with a 21.6 average and is a top candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year honors. Emmett also leads Tech in rebounding with a 7.0 average. Freshman guard Jarrius Jackson (6'1") is adding 10.3 points and ranks third in the league in steals (1.8), while junior guard Ronald Ross (6'2") is averaging 9.6 points and freshman forward Devonne Giles (6'9") contributes 8.2 points and had 18 rebounds against Colorado.Tech leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage (.730) and ranks second in steals (8.6) and turnover margin (+3.8). The Red Raiders are third in the league in field goal percentage (.466).
Quick Notes
*A&M has made 71.5 percent from the free throw line in the last 13 games, including 79.1 percent in the last two games.
*Senior center Andy Slocum has had eight double-doubles, second most in the Big 12, and leads the league in rebounding in conference play (10.5). For the season, Slocum's 9.6 average ranks second in the Big 12 and 20th nationally.
*Senior forward Jesse King leads the team in scoring for the season (13.0) and in conference play (13.0). King is making 79.4 percent from the free throw line after entering the season as a career 51 percent free throw shooter.
*Antoine Wright has been named to the NABC All-District Team for the second straight year.
*The Aggies rank fourth nationally in offensive rebounding (16.3), second most in the Big 12. In league play, A&M leads the conference in offensive boards (16.9). This prowess had led A&M to get an average of 6.1 more shots per game than its opponents (7.6 in Big 12 play).
*The Aggies have posted a rebounding margin of +9.2 in the last 13 games. The Aggies have outrebounded 18 of 22 opponents, including 13 of the last 14, and have outrebounded their opponents on the offensive boards all but twice.
*A&M leads the Big 12 in rebounding in conference play (+7.0) and its season margin of +6.0 ranks third in the Big 12 and 20th nationally.
*The Aggies rank third in the Big 12 in assists (16.1), but rank rank 12th in turnover margin for the season (-1.32) and in league play (-4.0).
*A&M is 1-12 when it commits 15 or more turnovers and it is 2-12 when it allows 14 or more points off turnovers.
*A&M ranks last in the Big 12 in scoring defense (76.9) and in three-point percentage defense (.394) and is 11th in field goal percentage defense (.475).
*Ten of A&M's 11 league games have been within five points at halftime, with A&M leading three times.
*Ten of A&M's last 13 losses were within four points in the final two minutes.
THE SERIES
Texas Tech leads the series, 58-50, including a 32-14 edge in games played in Lubbock, but A&M is 2-2 at the United Spirit Arena.Tech took the series lead with nine straight wins in the late 1990s, but has only a 6-5 edge in the last 11 games, with eight of those games decided by 10 points per fewer and six decided by five points or fewer. The last two games have been decided in the final seconds, including Tech's 80-78 win last month in College Station. A&M won last year in Lubbock, 70-69.
TEXAS A&M vs. Texas Tech
(Tech leads, 58-50)
Last 11 Games
Year Winner Site
1998-99 A&M, 68-47 College Station
1999-00 A&M, 88-86 Lubbock
Tech, 76-64 College Station
2000-01 A&M, 72-70 Lubbock
A&M, 62-52 College Station
2001-02 Tech, 72-70 College Station
Tech, 74-53 Lubbock
Tech, 80-71 Kansas City
2002-03 A&M, 64-59 College Station
Tech, 70-69 Lubbock
2003-04 Tech, 80-78 College Station
THE COACHES
TEXAS A&M
Melvin Watkins (UNC Charlotte '77)
60-106 at A&M (6th year)
102-126 overall (8th year)
5-7 vs. Texas Tech
1-5 vs. Bob Knight
TEXAS TECH
Bob Knight (Ohio State '62)
63-29 at Tech (3rd year)
827-315 overall (39th year)
8-2 vs. Texas A&M
5-1 vs. Melvin Watkins
SIDEBARS
A&M senior center Andy Slocum is from West Monroe, La. (West Monroe HS) while Tech freshman guard Jarrius Jackson (Ouachita HS) is from neighboring Monroe, La....Tech basketball trainer Jon Murray is a 1997 graduate of Texas A&M...Tech leads the series, 6-5, in the last 11 games with Tech outscoring A&M by a combined seven points in that span, an average margin of +0.6 per game....Slocum suffered a broken hand five minutes into the game against Tech two years ago in a 72-70 loss at Reed Arena and missed the next eight games.
TENTATIVE STARTERS
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (7-15, 0-11)
No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG
50 Andy Slocum C 7-0 Sr. 8.9 9.6
3 Jesse King F 6-7 Sr. 13.0 5.8
21 Antoine Wright F/G 6-7 So. 13.0 4.0
10 Leandro Garcia-Morales G 6-1 Sr. 7.3 2.5
1 Acie Law G 6-3 Fr. 7.5 4.0a
Off the Bench
No. Player P Ht. Cl. PPG RPG
22 Kevin Turner G 6-2 Sr. 6.9 1.6
5 Nick Anderson F 6-6 Sr. 6.1 4.2
23 Keith Blanks F 6-5 Fr. 4.3 1.2
30 Bobby Leach G 6-0 Jr. 3.5 3.3a
11 Luis Clemente F 6-8 So. 3.3 1.9
32 Marcus Watkins G 6-4 So. 2.9 2.2
42 Marlon Pompey F 6-8 Fr. 2.5 1.0
12 Dylan Leal G 6-4 Sr. 0.8 0.2
33 Justin Loewe G 6-4 Fr. 0.5 0.3
WATKINS QUOTEBOARD
"It's been a tough season on all of us, but somewhere there's a blessing in all of this. We may not see it now, but there is because my kids haven't quit. We didn't play as hard as we should have against Texas, but they didn't quit and that's a compliment to their character. We didn't play well and Texas was aggressive. They got the ball down low and got some easy baskets. We had a decent first half, but this is a 40 minute game and we got soft in the second half. We look at it like we can beat any team in this conference. We feel like we can win each time we step on the floor. Finding the way to win is obviously the most important goal and sometimes that is something you just have to grow into. Even in the games we have been down, it has been more what we didn't do as opposed to the other team being able to dominate us. Since I have been here, we have had games that we were just over matched and were not competitive. That is not the case this season."
TALE OF THE TAPE
A&M Tech
Record 7-15 18-7
Conference 0-11 6-5
Ratings Pct. Index (RPI) 225 25
Streak L11 L1
Field Goal Pct. .423 .466
Opponent FG Pct. .475 .419
3-Pt. Field Goal Pct. .333 .336
Opponent 3-Pt. Pct. .394 .344
3-Pt. Field Goal Avg. 6.4 3.6
3-Pt. FG Attempts Avg. 19.3 10.9
Free Throw Pct. .694 .730
Opponent FT Pct. .692 .655
Rebound Avg. 39.6 35.0
Offensive Reb. Avg. 16.3 11.8
Rebounding Margin +6.0 -1.0
Turnovers Avg. 15.0 13.2
Opp. Turnovers Avg. 13.7 17.6
Assists Avg. 16.0 14.8
Blocks Avg. 1.5 4.0
Steals Avg. 6.3 8.6
Scoring Avg. 75.1 73.7
Opponent Scoring 76.9 65.4
Scoring Margin -1.7 +8.3
Texas Recap
AUSTIN (AP)- Brandon Mouton scored 20 points and Kenny Taylor hit four 3-pointers in the key second-half run to lead No. 11 Texas past Texas A&M 77-57 Wednesday night. Texas hit just one 3-pointer before Taylor's shots, and the Longhorns turned a tight game with the Aggies into an easy win. Jesse King had 12 points and nine rebounds to lead A&M. P.J. Tucker added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Longhorns. Tucker was 5-of-5 in the first half with 10 points and Texas hit 12 of its first 16 shots to take a 29-19 lead. The Aggies held Texas scoreless over the final 3:31 as the Longhorns missed their final seven shots before the half ended with Texas leading 29-24. Texas turned it over on its first two possessions of the second and Acie Law scored eight straight points as the Aggies pulled within 33-32 but couldn't take the lead. James Thomas hit a layup, Ivey scored twice and Taylor hit a pair of 3-pointers in a 17-6 run that opened up a 52-38 Texas lead. The first was a gift as Mouton was stripped of the ball in the lane and it spun out to Taylor for a wide open shot from the left wing. Taylor wasn't done, hitting two more quick catch-and-shoot 3s that opened up a 64-40 lead. He finished with 18 points. Texas outshot the Aggies 54 percent to 37 percent and won the scoring in the paint 34-22.
Last Month vs. Tech at Reed Arena
COLLEGE STATION (AP) -- Andre Emmett scored 23 points, including the go-ahead basket with 6 seconds to play, and No. 18 Texas Tech won its 12th consecutive game, an 80-78 victory over Texas A&M. The Red Raiders led by 12 points late in the first half, but scrapped to for a 40-37 halftime lead and the Aggies stayed in it in the second half. There were seven ties in the second half, the last at 78-78 on a putback by Jesse King of the Aggies after a long miss by Leandro Garcia-Morales with 20 seconds to play. Emmett fought his way to the basket for the winning layup. The Aggies got one more chance but Garcia-Morales missed a long shot at the buzzer. Jarrius Jackson added 16 points and Mikey Marshall had 14 for the Red Raiders, who shot 61 percent from the field. Acie Law had 14 points for the Aggies, who shot 50 percent. The Aggies took a 49-46 lead with 16:11 left in the game on a three-point play by Antoine Wright.
Last Year in Lubbock
LUBBOCK (AP, Feb. 22, 2003) -- Andre Emmett, coming back from a one-game suspension, scored 26 points as Texas Tech beat Texas A&M 70-69. Tech led most of the game but the Aggies crept back and Will Chavis hit the first of two free throws with 4.9 seconds remaining to win it for Tech. Aggie Bernard King just missed a last second shot from midcourt. Tech built its biggest lead of 10 points at 47-37 with 14:47 remaining in the game. But the Aggies clawed their way back, using a 19-7 run to take a 56-54 lead with 6:50 remaining in the game. The run included three 3-pointers -- one by Antoine Wright and two by Kevin Turner. Tech answered with a layup and a slam dunk by Emmett off an lob pass from Mickey Marshall to regain the lead 61-60 with 3:32 remaining in the game. The score was tied four times in the last three minutes at 61, 63, 67 and 69 and the lead changed hands three times in the final two minutes. Robert Tomaszak scored 17 points and Kasib Powell added 10 for the Red Raiders. King scored 23 points and Turner added 14 for the Aggies. Tech led 35-29 at halftime. The Aggies then used a 9-4 run to lead 21-20 but Tech answered with a 8-3 run to give the Red Raiders a 28-24 lead with 3:47 remaining in the half.
