Texas A&M
KANSAS STATE
Aggies Drop K-State, 65-51
Jan 22, 2005 | Men's Basketball
January 22, 2005
Acie Law recovered from an early ankle injury to score 17 points and Antoine Wright added 14, leading Texas A&M to a 65-51 victory over Kansas State on Saturday.
Wright started a 14-4 run midway through the second half with a 3-pointer and Law finished it with a jumper from the corner to end a two-game losing streak for the Aggies (13-3, 2-3 Big 12).
Freshman Joseph Jones had 12 points and eight rebounds and Bobby Leach chipped in with 10 points and six assists to improve A&M's home record to 12-1 this season.
Jeremiah Massey led Kansas State (11-4, 1-3) with 20 points, and was the only Wildcats player to score in double figures.
After a week-long layoff following a 20-point upset of Missouri, Kansas State struggled to find its shooting touch. The Wildcats shot just 40 percent, including 23 percent from behind the arc -- terrible for a team that entered ranked third nationally in 3-point shooting at 43.2 percent.
Meanwhile, the Aggies' aggressive pressure defense, ranked No. 6 nationally in field-goal percentage, carried them for long stretches of the game, particularly when Law came up hobbling after an early collision.
Law hurt his left ankle two minutes into the game and had to be escorted off the floor by a couple of teammates. He headed for the locker room a few minutes later, limping heavily and grimacing all the way.
He looked like he might be done for the afternoon.
But Law returned to the game midway through the first half, without any hint of a limp, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd of 9,692.
During their point guard's absence, the Aggies pulled ahead by holding the Wildcats without a point for more than six minutes.
Trailing by 10 points late in the first half, Massey led Kansas State on a 10-0 spurt to tie the game at 30-all going into halftime.
But when Wright and Law finally got it going offensively, the Wildcats couldn't keep up.
Wright and Law hit back-to-back 3s, and Wright followed with a jumper to increase A&M's lead to 55-40 with just over seven minutes left in the game.
Law finished off the game-clinching run with a crossover dribble that sent Kansas State's Fred Peete tumbling to the court, drawing oohs from the crowd, and nailed a jumper from the corner that gave A&M its biggest lead of the game, 61-44.
Law added five assists and four rebounds, a complete turnaround from a two-game slump in which he scored a total of eight points.
Postgame Quotes
Kansas State head coach Jim Wooldridge:
"I thought that with the way that we started and the way that they started in the second half, we got in a hole with the way they hit some jump shots. They got us back on our heels a little bit. We didn't have the energy or offense to get out of it. We didn't have any scoring other than Jeremiah Massey. I thought we gave ourselves a chance to win the game. We shot so poorly and were lucky to be in the game at halftime. We thought we could play better offense in the second half. They hit some deep threes against the zone. That gave them confidence. They were really going after the rebounds. If you get out-rebounded, a lot of it is about effort. If you score 51 points in a game in this league you are not going to win. When it comes to physicality, you have to match people. They play with a lot of confidence. I would say that is an understatement."
Texas A&M junior Antoine Wright:
"The rebounding was the difference in the second half. In the first half, we got out-rebounded and coach highlighted that at halftime. He said we weren't being tough at all. We were tougher in the second half. All the guys' energy off the bench was important for us. That is what we were missing the past few games. We aren't going to go away or shy away from challenges. I think that our aggressiveness got to them down the stretch. Acie Law is really big for us. We needed all 17 of his points and we really need him to push the ball and control the tempo."
Texas A&M freshman Joseph Jones:
"They just kept battling us down on the inside. Every game in the Big 12 is hard. Every team is big, and we aren't very big on the inside so we have to work harder."
Texas A&M head coach Billy Gillispie:
"That was a very fun game for us. I thought we played hard. They played hard. At the end of the game, both teams limped off the court and that is the way it is supposed to be played. I can't speak for them, but I know that we were exhausted. Antoine Wright battled his tail off and that is what we are all about. I can't tell you how proud I am of these guys. Edjuan Green played his best game at A&M today, although the stats don't show it. No one can question the toughness of this team. We are learning to play smarter because we are tough. We aren't a great collection of players, starting from the head coach all the way down. When you are tough as a team, that is what makes you most proud as a coach. I thought they were playing good defense. Joseph Jones was awesome in the second half. Talk about courage -- he's a tough son of a gun. You aren't suppposed to be that tough and good as a freshman."
A&M Notes:
*A&M improved to 12-1 at home this season, tying the school record for most home victories. A&M went 12-0 at G. Rollie White Coliseum in 1975-76 and 1979-80.
*Kansas State's 51 points were the fewest by an A&M Big 12 opponent since the Aggies beat Iowa State, 52-50, in Ames in 2002. It was KSU's lowest total of the season (its previous low came in a 60-56 win against Denver on Nov. 24.).
*A&M's 14-point margin of victory was its largest ever against Kansas State. A&M beat the Wildcats 79-66 two years ago at Reed Arena. Today's margin also was the largest against KSU this year. The Wildcats had 10-point losses to Rutgers and at Nebraska in double overtime.
*A&M improves to 4-1 against Kansas State in games played in College Station and has won two straight.
*A&M is 13-3 for the first time since the 1978-79 team also started 13-3.
*A&M has out-rebounded 13 of 16 opponents this season.
*Senior Bobby Leach tied his career high with 10 points and has scored at least nine in four straight games. He started the streak with 10 points in the win against Texas. Leach also equaled his season best with six assists. He also had six against Texas.
*Acie Law scored 17 points (14 in the seocnd half), and tied his career high by making 3-of-5 three-pointers. He also made a trio of treys against Penn State earlier this month.
*Antoine Wright scored 14 points, his 14th game in double figures this season.
*Today's attendance of 9,692 was the 11th largest in A&M history. A&M has set four of the top 11 attendance marks in school annals in the last four games.
