Texas A&M
AUBURN
Texas A&M 72, Auburn 67
Dec 22, 2005 | Men's Basketball
December 22, 2005
Joseph Jones scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and Texas A&M hit seven free throws in the final minute to hold off Auburn, 72-67, Thursday night at Reed Arena and remain undefeated.
The Aggies (8-0), who never trailed in the game, extended a one-point halftime lead to as much as 12 in the second half. A&M held an eight-point lead over the Tigers (5-3) with 47 seconds to play before Auburn quickly cut it to four. The Aggies got two free throws from both Chris Walker and Marlon Pompey in the last 25 seconds to seal the win.
Jones scored 18 of his 24 points in the second half. Acie Law added 19 points on the night and Kenneth White scored a career-high 10.
Auburn placed four players in double figures, led by Frank Tolbert's 15 and Ronny Lamelle's 14.
Postgame Quotes & Notes
Auburn Head Coach Jeff Lebo:
"I'd like to congratulate A&M. They've got a good team. We played hard, but fouled too much. We gave up 29 from the line, and when you do that its hard to win. We did some nice things. Jones is terrific. He pushed us around down low and did whatever he wanted to us. A&M's defense bothers most people. Both teams played good defense in the first half. We had no offensive flow. This was our third legitimate road game and I think it helped our young kids."
Frank Tolbert:
"Jones got good good position on us and he just throws his body around. Then when he gets a shot its a 2-foot jump hook or a layup. Our pressure was about they same as theirs. They didn't double as much as we did. We tried to get up on the ball handler and make him turn it over."
Joseph Jones:
"Defense and rebounding are our two biggest things. When we do those things theres no telling what we can accomplish. Our rebounding will get better. We need to play together and be tougher on the boards. We learn something every game. We need to play hard, smart and together. We haven't played anyone that big on the inside all season. They got a lot of rebounds. We need to keep people off the boards."
Acie Law:
"Its very important for someone to step up. Red did it tonight. Eddie and Josh are capable of doing it. Big Red did it in there for us tonight. The crowd was in it and they made it a hostile environment. I've got to give them credit. They got a lot of pressure on us and performed pretty well. They're an SEC team and a good program, so it feels good to beat them. WE didn't play as smart as we should have, but we came out with the win."
A&M Head Coach BIlly Gillispie:
"This was a good win for us tonight, but thats about it. Both teams played hard. We didn't play as smart as we could have. Joseph Jones had one shot in the first half, and thats not a very good solution for us. We have a lot of things to work on, but I'm happy with the win before Christmas. Antanus was great tonight. I think this was his best game by far. Chris and Marlon tried to do to much and they aren't as good when they do that. Josh Carter needs to learn to guard better. Dominique is solid. White came in and helped us immediately. We aren't a team that can survive with just a third guy stepping up. We're going to need a fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh. We need to try to get better like everyone else. We didn't play any team defense tonight. We got out to a lead by playing good defense, but they started to beat us off the dribble and gave themselves a chance. We've got a bunch of guys who will play hard every day. Thyey compete hard and will continue to get better. We're going to have more people get better. If we play hard, play smart and play together, we've got a chance."
A&M Notes:
*A&M has won 21 straight regular-season non-conference games.
*The Aggies are 8-0 at home this season and are 25-3 in the last two years.
*A&M has posted four straight wins against Southeastern Conference teams at home.
*A&M has led at halftime in all eight games and have not trailed in the second half.
*A&M is 23-2 under Billy Gillispie when leading at halftime (20-1 at home).
*A&M has posted five wire-to-wire victories.
*After missing the last two games with a sprained ankle, Joseph Jones returned to score 24 points with 8 rebounds, his second best scoring game of the season and the third best of his career.
*Acie Law missed the Savannah State game with a concussion, but bounced back to score 19 points.
*Kenneth White scored a career-high 10 points.
