Texas A&M
(#9) TEXAS
Aggies Stun No. 9 Texas, 74-63
Jan 12, 2005 | Men's Basketball
January 12, 2005
Acie Law had 24 points and six assists, freshman Joseph Jones added 13 points and 10 rebounds and Texas A&M ended an 18-game Big 12 losing streak with a 74-63 upset of No. 10 Texas on Wednesday night.
The Aggies (12-1, 1-1) are off to their best start since 1959-60, and first-year coach Billy Gillispie has made the best debut in school history.
Before a school-record crowd of 12,811, Law helped A&M end the Longhorns' 10-game winning streak in College Station and improve its record at Reed Arena to 12-0 this season.
The Aggies also knocked off their first Top 10 foe, and fourth overall, since beating Texas in 1982.
P.J. Tucker led the Longhorns (12-3, 1-1) with 18 points and eight rebounds and freshman LaMarcus Aldridge, added 12 points and eight rebounds.
Despite getting off to such an impressive start, A&M had generated little attention mostly because of a nonconference schedule that included games against Prairie View A&M, Texas-Permian Basin and Trinity, a Division III school.
Let there be no more doubt -- A&M is for real.
Coming off a tough 65-60 loss at No. 2 Kansas last week, A&M surprisingly seized control of this game early and never let the Longhorns back into it.
The Aggies' lead reached 21 points early in the second half, but Texas (12-3, 1-1) fought back behind a full court press and scoring spurts by Tucker and Aldridge.
It wasn't enough.
Law effortlessly sliced his way through defenders and repeatedly found open shooters, completely outclassing Texas freshman Daniel Gibson.
Gibson, who suffered a cut over his left eye and had it bandaged up at halftime, was 1-of-11 from the field and had three points and two assists.
The Longhorns struggled offensively despite the return of center Jason Klotz, who served a one-game suspension for throwing a punch in last week's win over Memphis, and guard Sydmill Harris, who missed the previous three games with a groin injury.
A&M's aggressive pressure defense -- ranked No. 1 nationally in field goal percentage -- forced the Longhorns into dozens of off-balance jumpers and 3s from way behind the arc.
Texas made only one of its first 12 shots, a putback slam by Aldridge, and went 7-of-33 from the field, including 2-of-9 on 3s, in the first half.
Law's final 3-pointer of the night, a rainbow over Tucker as the shot clock expired, gave A&M a 63-50 lead with 3:39 to go. That shot sent the crowd into a frenzy and all but ended any comeback attempt.
In the game's final seconds, Law dribbled out the clock near midcourt and then tossed the ball high into the air as A&M players and students spilled onto the court. Thousands of fans locked arms and sang the ``Aggie War Hymn,'' A&M's traditional sendoff after games.
When the final verse was sung, Law and Gillispie waded through a mob of hugs and handshakes before they found each other and embraced to the applause of the maroon-clad fans.
Postgame Quotes & Notes
Texas Senior Jason Klotz:
"We missed easy buckets. All the post players missed easy rim shots and it was a tumbleweed effect. A&M was playing run and gun, hitting easy layups. They played great basketball. We fought back in the second half. We played hard and got shots but we missed them. We did a good job on Jones in the first half. They hit us with a lot of different looks defensively that we hadn't seen before. They've done a great job with this program, bringing in Jones. Wright is terrific and Law is the best point guard we've played all year. Coach Gillispie has done a great job."
Texas Sophomore P.J. Tucker:
"A&M played really good defense. We missed shots but kept fighting. We got rebounds and fought it out but we couldn't make shots. We watched tape on them and were not surprised with them tonight. We saw them play against Kansas and they're a great team. I think Law missed three shots all night. It was just his night. They made free throws and had a great game. We got all the looks we wanted but couldn't finish. Sometimes thats how it goe's, but when you don't make shots you've got to find another way to win. We missed Gibson in the second half. He runs our team and we missed him on the court."
Texas Head Coach Rick Barnes:
"A&M was terrific from the beginning. Tonight was everything you could want in a college game. Billy has his team playing well, especially defensively. Tonight was a job well done. They had control from the beginning. I'm proud of our team for getting back into it. Both teams played hard. We missed a lot of shots. They kept us out of the middle by digging in in the back and kept pressure on the guards. A&M deserves credit for this win. They played 40 minutes of really good basketball. Billy's been around for a long time. I'm impressed with the help he's gotten from the administration. I've been coming here for seven years and I've never seen the place like this before."
Texas A&M Freshman Joseph Jones:
"We know we can play with anybody out there as long as we battle every play. We have to be tough and never give up. Coming into the game, we knew they were real big inside. Coach told us they were the best in the country. We tried to play really physical."
Texas A&M Sophomore Acie Law:
"We play hard, we practice hard and that's how we play in the game. This is they type of stuff we can do. I loved the crowd. It's our job to come out, play hard and deliver. We rattle everybody with our pressure. When Antoine came out in the first half, everybody had to step up and we accepted the challenge. Coach told us at halftime that they were a top 10 team and they were going to battle back. He told us when they throw a blow to throw one back. This was the first Big 12 win for me. It feels great. A top 10 team came in here and we stepped up. This season we're closer and play more together. Coach makes us tougher. Defensively, we're one of the best in the league. No one practices harder than we do. We saw the way Texas defended the perimeter as a weakness so we attacked and opened it up."
Texas A&M Head Coach Billy Gillispie:
"This was a fun game for us. I'm proud of our guys and they deserved to win. We beat a team tonight that has a chance to play for all the marbles. They were off and didn't make their shots, but we have a lot of repect for them. The fans were definitely a 6th man tonight. They were fantastic. They got here early and that's the way its supposed to be. Hopefully win, lose or draw, people will come out to see us. The fans wouldn't let them get within 10 and they gave us a tremendous boost. We may never be great but we're going to play hard. This win will probably open some eyes on the outside. Texas wanted to post up and they were able to do so whenever they wanted. They've got great players and they're a power team. Our post defense wasn't as good as it could have been. They missed shots and we were lucky. Having to play without certain players are things that happen. We need to overcome adversity. The game was fractured on both sides as far as having the players you want in the game. Our guys are maturing. Joseph was a great post presence and Acie was composed and not out of control and ran our offense. Tonight had nothing to do with me. It was all our guys. We try to put them into spots that allow them to make things happen. We want them to play smart, play hard, and play together and they've all bought into that. Having the fans rush the court was a great feeling. It was fun. Hopefully we'll learn to expect more, but this was great for our school. A win like this justifies your hard work. I think we've been ahead of schedule this season. I never knew guys could make the transition from high school and junior college and from a hard season last year as fast as they have and be as tough as they are. We know where we are and it's a start, not an end."
A&M NOTES:
*Tonight's win ended a 17-game Big 12 losing streak for the Aggies and marked the first time A&M has won a Big 12 home opener.
*It the fourth win against a top-10 ranked team in A&M history and the first since the Aggies defeated No. 5-ranked Texas, 71-69, in Austin in 1982.
*The win ended a five-game Texas winning streak in the series and a 10-game Texas winning streak in College Station. A&M last beat UT in College Station in 1994 (85-84).
*Tonight's attendance of 12,811 was the largest in A&M history, eclipsing the previous mark of 12,633 set against Texas in 2003. Two of the seven largest crowds in school history have been this season. A&M set its non-conference attendance mark with 11,200 against Houston and also set its record for a season opener with 6,929 against North Carolina A&T. A&M's non-conference average of 5,338 was the best in school history.
*Billy Gillispie's 12-1 start is the best by a first-year coach in school history, surpassing Tubby Graves 11-2 mark in 1915-16.
*A&M is 12-1 for the first time since 1959-60, when it started 13-1. The only better start than that was by the 1919-20 team, which finished 19-0.
*A&M has won 11 straight home games, its longest home streak since it won 16 straight from 1978-81. It is the seventh longest home winning streak in A&M history.
*Coupled with the A&M women's team's 49-44 win at Oklahoma State, tonight marks just the second time ever that the A&M men's and women's teams have won a Big 12 game on the same night. The only other time it happened was on Jan. 27, 1999, when the men beat Texas Tech, 68-47, in College Station and the women beat Kansas State, 73-59, in Manhattan, Kan.
*The win gives A&M a 3 - 2.5 lead in the State Farm Lone Star Showdown.
*Acie Law's 24 points were the second most of his career and his best in a Big 12 game. He scored 25 against Houston on Dec. 29. Law also tied his career-best with three three-pointers. He also had three against Penn State. Law has scored in double figures in eight straight games.
*Joseph Jones had 13 points and 10 rebounds, his fourth double-double of the year.
*Bobby Leach tied his career high with 10 points and had a season-best 6 assists. He also had 10 points against Chicago State last month.
*A&M entered the game ranked No. 1 nationally in field goal percentage defense and allowed Texas to make just 32.3 percent, the Longhorns lowest all season. Texas' previous low was 39.3 percent against Seton Hall.
*A&M entered the game ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 8 nationally in scoring defense and allowed the Longhorns to score just 63 points, their lowest total of the season. Their previous low was 70 against Seton Hall.
*A&M came in averaging a league-best 26.8 free throw attempts per game and made 26-of-36 tonight.
*Texas out-rebounded the Aggies, 39-33, only the second time this season the Aggies have been beaten on the boards. The other was against Penn State by a 39-35 margin.
