Texas A&M
Missouri
Texas A&M 54, Missouri 51
Feb 21, 2006 | Men's Basketball
February 21, 2006
Dominique Kirk scored eight points during the final 9:51 of the game Tuesday night, helping Texas A&M overcome a 10-point deficit and beat Missouri 54-51 -- a win that gives a boost to the Aggies' NCAA tournament hopes.
Kirk, averaging 6.7 points per game, had just three points before leading a comeback that may have salvaged the Aggies' season. Missouri (11-13, 4-9 Big 12) led 47-37 with 11:34 to play but scored just four points the rest of the way.
Acie Law scored 15 for Texas A&M (17-7, 7-6) and Kirk finished with 11.
Thomas Gardner scored 21 points for Missouri, but only two in the second half. Jimmy McKinney had 14.
Texas A&M closed the margin to two points on Chris Walker's 3-pointer with 4:55 to play. After a Missouri miss, Kirk hit a 3-pointer from the corner with 2:55 to play to put the Aggies ahead for good.
After Walker missed the front end of a 1-and-1, Missouri had one last chance with 1.2 seconds to play, but Gardner's 3-pointer banged off the rim.
Texas A&M took a 16-11 lead before going 7:20 between points in the first half. Missouri's 15-0 run during that span put the Tigers up 26-16. The Aggies, who missed 10 straight shots during the cold spell, managed to close the gap to 33-28 by halftime.
The Aggies moved into sole possession of fifth place in the conference, a half-game ahead of Nebraska. But unless Texas A&M moves up in the standings or has a strong showing in the Big 12 tournament, the question it faces is whether five Big 12 teams will earn berths in the NCAA tournament in what is generally considered a down year for the conference.
Barring a miracle run in the conference tourney, Missouri's tumultuous season is winding to a merciful close. The Tigers were overachieving at 10-5 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12 after beating Kansas in overtime Jan. 16. Since then, Missouri has lost eight of nine, with seven of the losses by double-digits, and dropped to next-to-last in the Big 12.
