Aggies Open Big 12 Play on Saturday Against Red Raiders

January 06, 2006

The Texas A&M Aggies open Big 12 play on Saturday when they play host to the Texas tech Red Raiders at 5 p.m. at Reed Arena.

Game #12

Texas A&M Aggies (10-1, 0-0 Big 12)

vs.

Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-6, 0-0 Big 12)

Saturday, Jan. 7

5:08 p.m. (Central)

Reed Arena (12,500 cap.)

College Station, Texas

TELEVISION

Fox Sports Southwest

Play-by-Play: Greg Lucas

Analyst: Jim Haller

RADIO

Texas A&M Sports Network

Play-by-Play: Dave South

Analyst: Al Pulliam

Sirius Satellite Radio 107

MEDIA RELATIONS CONTACTS

Texas Tech: Randy Farley

806-789-3428 (cell)

Texas A&M: Colin Killian

979-229-4706 (cell)

SERIES

Tech leads, 60-51

In College Station: A&M leads, 31-20

at Reed Arena: A&M leads, 4-3

Last Meeting: A&M 85, Texas Tech 63, 2004-05 in College Station

PROJECTED A&M STARTERS

1 Acie Law IV (6-3, 185, Jr-2L, 14.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.2 apg

22 Dominique Kirk (6-3, 180, So-1L, 7.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.4 apg)

10 Chris Walker (6-5, 210, Sr-1L, 2.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.3 apg)

42 Marlon Pompey (6-8, 225, Jr-2L, 8.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.5 blk)

30 Joseph Jones (6-9, 250, So-1L, 16.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg, .593 FG)

PROJECTED TECH STARTERS

22 Jarrius Jackson (G, 6-1, 185, Jr-2L, 18.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.4 apg)

3 Martin Zeno (G, 6-5, 200, So-1L, 15.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.5 apg)

13 Terry Martin (G, 6-5, 202, Fr-Hs, 7.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.9 apg)

32 Jonathan Plefka (F, 6-8, 241, Jr-Tr, 5.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.1 apg)

44 Darryl Dora (F, 6-9, 245, Jr-2L, 7.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.6 apg)

Game Notes

* A&M went 6-2 at home in Big 12 play last season.

* A&M is 10-0 at home this season and has won 12 straight regular-season home games. Tech is 1-2 in road games.

* A&M is coming off a 63-56 loss at Pacific on Tuesday while Texas Tech has won two straight and is coming off a 61-60 win against UTEP at home on Sunday.

* A&M has lost 10 straight conference openers, including nine straight in Big 12 play. A&M?™s last conference-opening win came in 1995, when it beat Texas Tech, 90-80, at G. Rollie White Coliseum.

About Texas Tech

* The Red Raiders have advanced to postseason play four straight years, including three NCAA appearances.

* Tech went 22-11 last year and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 with UCLA and Gonzaga.

* The Red Raiders were 1-4 between Dec. 3 and Dec. 21, but have won tehir last two games at New Mexico State (69-63) and at home against UTEP (61-60).

* Tech?™s losses have been at Syracuse (81-46), Wake Forest (78-73 2OT), San Francisco (90-72), Louisiana Tech (68-53), UNLV (84-73) and Arkansas (78-65) .

* Tech coach Bob Knight needs just 18 victories to pass North Carolina?™s Dean Smith as the winningest coach in college basketball history.

* The Red Raiders are led by junior guard Jarrius Jackson (6-1), who is averaging 18.6 points and 3.4 assists. Jackson leads the Big 12 in free throw accuracy at 84.3 percent.

* The only other Tech player averaging in double figures is sophomore guard Martin Zeno, who is averaging 15.9 points and 4.9 rebounds.

* Tech leads the Big 12 in three-point accuracy, making 39.5 percent.

Series Notes

* Tech leads the series, 60-51.

* A&M has a 31-20 edge in games played in College Station with a 4-3 mark at Reed Arena.

* The teams?™ last met last year in College Station, with the Aggies posting a 85-63 victory.

* Bob Knight is 2-2 at Reed Arena, with each victories by just two points (80-78 in 2004 and 72-70 in 2002).

Last Year at Reed

COLLEGE STATION (AP)- Antoine Wright scored 29 points, Joseph Jones had 16 in the second half and Texas A&M used a late 31-6 run to beat Texas Tech 85-63 on Saturday in front of a Reed Arena record crowd of 13,136. A&M led 52-51 before outscoring Tech 19-2 over the next seven minutes capped by Wright?™s putback layup with 6:20 remaining. The win is A&M?™s third victory in a row. Tech led by one at halftime and neither team got ahead by more than a basket until Chris Walker?™s 3 with 13:30 left put the Aggies ahead 50-47. A basket by Martin Zeno just seconds later cut the lead back to one before a bucket by Wright started the run. Wright hit six 3-pointers in the first half. He made his seventh 3-pointer of the night during the run, but the inside play of Jones sparked the Aggies offense during that stretch. The 6-foot-9 freshman, who was scoreless in the first half, had 14 points in the game?™s final 12 minutes. Tech didn?™t score a field goal for an eight-minute span late in the second half. The A&M defense, led by Wright, stifled the Red Raiders?™ usually potent offense in the second half. Entering the game, Tech was averaging a Big 12-best 80.7 points per game.

Last Year in Lubbock

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP)- Ronald Ross scored 27 points as Texas Tech beat Texas A&M 70-56 on Jan. 15, 2005. Tech never trailed and the Red Raiders were aided by a cold-shooting Aggie team. A&M made just 22 percent from the field in the first half and didn?™t climb into double digits until nearly 14 minutes into the game. The Aggies came into the game second in the conference in field goal percentage at 50 percent. Against Tech, they shot just 40 percent for the game. They were no better when it came to 3-pointers, hitting only 2-of-13. Despite the poor shooting, the Aggies crept back in the second half and pulled within 46-41 on a pull-up jumper in the lane by Dominique Kirk with 9:52 remaining. Tech countered with a 14-4 run, including six points by Darryl Dora to go up 60-45 with 5:19 to go. The Aggies got no closer. Antoine Wright scored 18 points and had 12 rebounds for Texas A&M, while Joseph Jones added 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Pacific Recap

STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) - Johnny Gray scored a career-high 28 points Tuesday night to lead Pacific to a 63-56 victory over Texas A&M, handing the Aggies their first loss of the season. Gray scored 14 consecutive points for Pacific (9-4) over a five-minute span of the second half to put the Tigers in control after Texas A&M had taken a 40-33 lead with 12:32 remaining to play. Gray?™s spurt came with Pacific?™s leading scorer, Christian Maraker, on the bench with four fouls. Maraker scored 14 points for the Tigers. Joseph Jones had 13 points and 12 rebounds to lead Texas A&M (10-1), which was looking to start 11-0 for the second season in a row. Josh Carter scored 13 points and Acie Law added 10 for the Aggies. Gray made five of seven 3-pointers, including one with 9:36 to play that put Pacific ahead for good at 41-40. Gray?™s outside shooting negated the strong inside play of the Aggies, who held a 24-12 advantage in points in the paint. Pacific made 59 percent of its shots from the field in the second half after making just 32 percent in the first half. Law and Dominique Kirk made back-to-back 3-pointers to complete an early 12-2 run that gave Texas A&M its biggest lead at 14-5 about 7 minutes into the game.

Looking Ahead

* The Aggies play at Oklahoma State (8 p.m./ESPN2) on Wednesday before returning home to face Oklahoma (1 p.m./ESPN2) next Saturday.

Who?™s Hot?

* After missing the Savannah State game with a concussion, junior Acie Law has scored in double figures in the last four games.

* After missing the Savannah State game with a sprained ankle, sophomore Joseph Jones has averaged 18.5 points and 9.8 rebounds in the last four games.

* Junior Marlon Pompey has averaged 11.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in the last two games.

* Freshman Josh Carter scored 13 points at Pacific, making 6-of-9 from the field.

Talking Points

* A&M ranks 10th nationally in scoring margin at +18.7 per game.

* A&M has led at halftime in all 10 homes games and has not trailed in the second half at home.

* A&M has not faced a double-digit deficit in any game this season.

* A&M leads the Big 12 and ranks 18th nationally in scoring defense at 57.4 points per game.

* In 42 games under Billy Gillispie, only one opponent has shot better than 48 percent against A&M.

* The Aggies rank 19th nationally in assists/turnovers ratio (1.26) and are 15th in assists (18.5).

* A&M is forcing an average of 22.7 turnovers per game, most in the Big 12 and lead the nation in defensive turnover percentage (turnovers per 100 possessions) at 32.6 percent.

* A&M is 27-3 at home under Billy Gillispie.

* A&M is the only Big 12 team to average at least 76 points while allowing fewer than 60 per game.

* A&M has scored 26.6 percent of its points from the free throw line, the most in the Big 12 and seventh most nationally.

* The Aggies lead the nation in free throw rate (free throws made divided by field goal attempts) at 37.8 percent.

* A&M averages 23.9 personal fouls per game, tied for the third most nationally. Opponents have scored 32.8 percent of their points from the line, the second highest rate in the nation.

* After making 42 percent from three-point range through six games, the Aggies have made just 26 percent in the last five contests, including a season-low 22 percent at Pacific.

* A&M has averaged 12.3 offensive rebounds and 12.3 second-chance points.

* A&M has averaged 30.2 points in the paint to just 16.2 by its opponents.

* A&M current crop of first-year players was ranked as the ninth best nationally by HoopScoop and that was before the late addition of 6-10 freshman Chinemelu Elonu. The early 2006 class also is ranked ninth nationally and includes four of the top 10 players in Texas.

* A&M has 16 Texas high school products on its 19-man roster, the most in school history. The season before Billy Gillispie?™s arrival, the Aggies had just four Texas players, including two walk-ons.

* Acie Law and Marlon Pompey are the only players who were on the A&M roster two years ago. Of the 19 players listed, 90 percent are first or second-year players.

Streaking Aggies

* The Aggies?™ 10-0 start matched the fourth-best start in school history.

* Last year, A&M started 11-0, its best start since 1919-20.

* The 10-game winning streak tied for the fifth longest in school history and is the second longest (behind last year?™s 11-game streak) since the 1959-60 Aggies also won 10 straight.

Joseph Jones

* Sophomore Joseph Jones has averaged 18.5 points and 9.8 rebounds in the last four games.

* Jones is averaging 16.6 points and a team-best 6.4 rebounds while making 59.3 percent from the field and 77.8 percent from the free throw line.

* CBS Sportsline.com ranks Jones as the seventh best center in the country.

* Jones, Oklahoma?™s Taj Gray and Kansas State?™s Cartier Martin are the only Big 12 players to rank among the league?™s top 10 in scoring (7th), rebounding (6th), FG percentage (5th), and FT percentage (4th).

* In his last eight complete games (not counting Grambling, when he played less than one minute), Jones is averaging 19.9 points and 9.1 rebounds.

* Against North Texas, he scored a career-high 35 points (the most by an Aggie in 11 years) and tied his career-best with 13 rebounds.

* Jones has had three double-doubles, tied for third most in the Big 12.

* He scored 24 points against Auburn, 22 against Northwestern State and 20 against Tulane.

* Jones has been the best in the Big 12 at getting to the free throw line, averaging 7.2 attempts per game. He?™s made 77.8 percent from the line, a big improvement over last season, when he made just 62.6 percent.

* After earning freshman All-America honors last season (CollegeInsider.com), Jones was rated as the Big 12?™s top rebounder by some preseason publications.

* Jones was named honorable mention All-Big 12 as a freshman after averaging 12.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. * nHe made 57.7 percent from the field and connected on 109-of-174 free throws (.626), an A&M freshman record for makes and attempts.

Acie Law

* After missing the Savannah State game with a concussion, junior Acie Law has bounced back to score in double figures in all four games since.

* He?™s scored in double figures in all but the Grambling game, when he had eight points before suffering the concussion early in the second half.

* Law is averaging 14.0 points and 3.2 assists per game while making 49.1 percent from the field and 75.9 percent from the free throw line.

* Law, Iowa State?™s Curtis Stinson and Texas Tech?™s Jarrius Jackson are the only Big 12 players to average at least 14.0 points with a minimum of 3.0 assists.

* He ranks 13th in the Big 12 in scoring, 11th in field goal percentage, 15th in assists and 15th in steals (2.00).

* Law scored a career-high 30 points against Mississippi Valley State. * nLast year as a sophomore, Law established himself as one of the Big 12?™s top perimeter players, averaging 12.0 points and ranking third in the league with 4.9 assists.

* Law earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors and also garnered a spot on the league?™s All-Improved Team. He was rated as the Big 12?™s top passer this season by some preseason publications.

Eddie Smith

* The 2005 National JUCO Player of the Year, senior Eddie Smith is averaging 6.2 points and 3.6 assists per game while making 45.5 percent (5-11) from three-point range.

* Smith ranks eighth in the Big 12 in assists and is third in assist/turnover ratio (2.35).

* He scored 15 points in the opener against Southern, had 14 against Grambling, along with a season-best seven assists, and added 12 against Northwestern State.

* A relentless player on the both ends of the court, Smith averaged 18.2 points and 6.0 assists in leading Moberly Area (Mo.) Community College to the NJCAA national title game.

Antanas Kavaliauskas

* Junior Antanas Kavaliauskas is working to establish himself as a presence in the paint, averaging 6.4 points and 3.0 rebounds.

* He is averaging 8.8 points in his last five games, making 17-of-27 (.680) from the field, but he did not play against Pacific.

* Kavaliauskas scored a season-high 15 points against Savannah State and had 12 Grambling. He added 13 points and a career-best 7 rebounds against TSU.

* He is making 62.2 percent from the field.

* He made a three-pointer against Grambling.

* Kavaliauskas averaged 17.6 points and 10.0 rebounds last season at Barton County (Kan.) Community College and was widely considered to be the most improved JUCO player in the country as a sophomore.

* Last summer, he helped Lithuania to the FIBA Under 21 World Championship in Argentina.

Chris Walker

* In a story straight out of Hollywood, Chris Walker joined the Aggies last year as an unknown walk-on and earned a spot in the starting lineup, playing a key role in A&M?™s NIT run.

* A true walk-on, Walker had been a student at A&M and had won an intramural basketball championship (his team was the Bill Waltons) the night before Billy Gillispie was hired as head coach.

* At 6?™5?, Walker was dubbed a ?powerless forward? by Gillispie, but held his own against the much bigger, more talented forwards in the Big 12, earning a spot on the league?™s All-Defense Team by The Daily Oklahoman.

* A member of the 2005 Big 12 All-Academic Team, he had a high-paying job awaiting him in the computer technology industry, but decided to use his final year of eligibility.

* Walker suffered a knee injury last summer and was expected to miss the first few weeks of the season, but has played in every game, starting four times, and is averaging 2.6 points.

* He graduated with a degree in computer science in December (3.8 GPA).

Josh Carter

* One of the biggest surprises for the Aggies has been the play of freshman Josh Carter, who has started in five games and is averaging 8.1 points.

* He ranks 11th in the Big 12 in three-pointers per game (1.55), the most of any league freshman.

* Carter scored a career-high 20 points against Grambling, making 7-of-7 shots from the field and setting a school record for three-point percentage by making 5-of-5.

* He scored 15 points against Mississippi Valley State, making 4-of-4 three-pointers, and handed out nine assists against Tulane.

* Despite a tough shooting night against Penn State (4-14), he made a key three-pointer in the final minutes to help secure the win.

* His older brother, Warren, plays for Illinois.

Dominique Kirk

* Sophomore Dominique Kirk has been the team?™s steadiest perimeter player, starting in all 42 games as an Aggie.

* Kirk is averaging 7.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists while making 42.1 percent from three-point range (16-38).

* Kirk ranks fifth in the Big 12 in assists/turnover ratio at 2.31 and is 10th in assists.

* He scored a season-high 17 points against Savannah State and has 10 against Tulane.

* Kirk has scored at least eight points in six games.

* He has made 12-of-26 three-pointers (.462) in the last eight games.

* Kirk has made three treys in three games. He ranks 12th in the Big 12 in three-pointers per game (1.45).

Marlon Pompey

* Junior Marlon Pompey has started in 10 games and is averaging 8.2 points and 3.5 rebounds.

* Pompey leads the team and ranks sixth in the Big 12 in blocked shots with 1.45 per game.

* He ranks 14th in the Big 12 in free throw percentage, making 71.7 percent (38-53). He entered the season as a 55 percent career free throw shooter.

* Pompey has had at least one block in 10 games and has had at least two in five games.

* He scored a career-high 16 points with a season-high 6 rebounds and 3 blocks against Northwestern State.

* Pompey had 12 points in each of the first two games against Southern and Mississippi Valley.

Martellus Bennett

* Freshman Martellus Bennett, a member of the A&M football team, joined the team on Nov. 28 and has quickly made an impact.

* Bennett is averaging 4.9 points and 2.4 rebounds.

* He?™s averaging 6.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in the last six games, making 19-of-28 (.679) free throws in that span.

* Bennett scored 18 points against Grambling and followed with 12 against Savannah State, reaching double figures in free throw attempts in both games.

* He ranks second on the team with six blocked shots, including a key one late in his debut against Penn State.

* Bennett was rated as the top tight end prospect in the country out of high school and was rated as the 21st best hoops prospect by HoopScoop.

* He was named the 2005 Houston prep player of the year in basketball.

* Bennett was named second-team freshman All-America on the gridiron last fall.

* He?™s the first football lettermen to play basketball at A&M since Billy Bob Barnett in 1969.

Making History

* Billy Gillispie is 31-11 in his second year as A&M?™s head coach, the second-best coaching start in school history. D.X. Bible was 34-8 through his first 42 games in 1920-22.

* Gillispie?™s last two teams led the nation in improvement, a first in college basketball history.

* His 2003-04 team at Texas-El Paso posted an 18-win increase (6-24 in 2002-03 to 24-8) and his 2004-05 A&M team had a 14-win improvement (7-21 in 2003-04 to 21-10).

* The Aggies also went 8-8 in Big 12 play in 2005, becoming only the third college team ever to go .500 in league play after finishing winless the previous year (0-16). The others were Miami (Fla) (0-18 to 9-9 in Big East) and Louisiana Tech (0-18 to 9-9 in Sun Belt), both in 1994-95.0

* Gillispie was the consensus 2005 Big 12 coach of the year and was a finalist for national coach of the year honors.

* Gillispie is 55-19 in his last three years as a coach, the second best in that span among Big 12 coaches behind Oklahoma?™s State?™s Eddie Sutton.

* Gillispie has built a sparkling 43-4 (.915) record in home games in his last three seasons as a coach.

Home Sweet Reed

* A&M is 27-3 (.900) at Reed Arena in two seasons under Billy Gillispie.

* A&M?™s 27 home wins are the most of any team in the country in that time span.

* The Aggies went 17-3 at home last season, a school record that tied for the second most home victories in the nation.