December 02, 2005
The Texas A&M men's basketball team hopes to remain unbeaten when it plays host to the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday at 3 p.m. At Reed Arena.
Tickets are available at the door and at www.12thmanfoundation.com. Aggie Athletes Involved (AAI) will be collecting Toys for Tots at each Texas A&M men?â„¢s and women?â„¢s basketball home game through Dec. 21. Fans who donate a new or gently used toy will receive free admission to the game.
The Aggies are 3-0 but have been idle since an 83-57 win against Tulane on Nov. 26. Penn State is 3-1 after suffering a 96-88 loss to Clemson on Tuesday. A&M is playing its fourth straight home game to open the season while the Nittany Lions are making their first road trip.
A&M defeated Penn State, 62-60, last season in State College, Pa., rallying from a 17-point second-half deficit. Acie Law made a pair of free throws in the final seconds to secure the victory, finishing with 19 points.
?Penn State is a very solid team and is off to a good start this season," A&M Coach Billy Gillispie said. "They probably feel like we stole one from them last year. We were very lucky to win that game. They are a good rebounding team and they have a lot of experienced players. We expect a tremendous challenge.?
Law leads the Aggies with a 19.3 scoring average with Joseph Jones is adding 14.0 points. Jones leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage (.737) and steals (3.7).
A member of The Big 10 Conference, Penn State is in its third season under Coach Ed DeChellis. The Nittany Lions opened the season with three straight wins before the loss against Clemson.
Penn State is led by sophomore forward Geary Claxton (6-5), who is averaging 17.3 points and 8.3 rebounds. Claxton scored 27 points with nine rebounds against Clemson. Senior forward Travis Parker (6-5) adds 11.3 points per contest.
A&M is 20-3 at home since the arrival of Gillispie prior to last season. The Aggies have won 16 straight regular-season non-conference games, including 15 straight at home.
The Aggies lead the series, 2-0. In addition to last year's win in State College, the Aggies posted a 62-55 victory against the Nittany Lions at the 1972 All-College Classic in Oklahoma City.