Dec. 27, 2008
COLLEGE STATION - After an eight-day break for Christmas, Texas A&M carries a six-game winning streak into Sunday's game against Sam Houston State at Reed Arena. Game time is 7 p.m.
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
GAME #12
Texas A&M Aggies (10-1, 0-0 Big 12)
vs.
Sam Houston State Bearkats (5-5, 0-0 Southland)
Sunday, December 28, 2008
7:05 p.m. (CST)
College Station, Texas
Reed Arena (12,989 cap.)
Television
Fox Sports Net SW
Play-by-Play: Greg Lucas
Analyst: Jim Haller
Direct TV: 676
Dish Network: 416
Radio
Texas A&M Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Dave South
Analyst: Al Pulliam
Sirius Satellite Radio: 91
Network Affiliates
Atlanta KPYN-AM 900
Athens KLVQ-AM 1410
Austin KJCE-AM 1370
Brenham KWHI-AM 1280
Carthage KGAS-AM 1590
College Station WTAW-AM 1620
College Station KZNE-AM 1150
Comanche KCOM-AM 1550
Dallas KFXR-AM 1190
El Campo KULP-AM 1390
Gonzales KCTI-AM 1450
Houston KBME-AM 790
Marshall KMHT-AM 1450
New Braunfels KGNB-AM 1420
San Antonio KSJL-AM 810
San Saba KBAL-AM 1410
Sulphur Springs KSST-AM 1230
Victoria KVNN-AM 1340
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Record: 10-1 (0-0 Big 12)
Ranking/RPI: RV (AP) / 40
Last Game: Beat LSU (72-61) on Dec. 20 in Houston
Current Streak: Won six straight
Head Coach: Mark Turgeon (Kansas `87)
Record: 188-131 (11th year)
at Texas A&M: 35-12 (2nd year)
vs. SHSU: 0-0
PROJECTED TEXAS A&M STARTERS
No. Player P Ht. Wt. Cl-Ex PPG RPG APG
15 Donald Sloan G 6-3 205 Jr-2L 12.4 3.9 3.6
3 Derrick Roland G 6-4 185 Jr-2L 5.2 2.2 2.0
23 Josh Carter F 6-7 200 Sr-3L 14.9 4.12.0
0 Bryan Davis F 6-9 240 Jr-2L 11.26.7 --
41 Chinemelu Elonu C 6-10 235 Jr-2L 8.1 6.1 --
SAM HOUSTON STATE BEARKATS
Record: 5-5 (0-0 Southland Conference)
Ranking/RPI: UR / 249
Last Game: Won at Louisiana-Lafayette (56-54) on Dec. 21
Current Streak: Won three straight
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State `81)
Record: 310-150 (17th year)
at SHSU: 187-116 (11th year)
vs. Texas A&M: 0-1
PROJECTED SHSU STARTERS
No. Player P Ht. Wt.Cl PPG RPG APG
1 Ashton Mitchell G 5-11 175 Jr-2L 12.6 3.6 7.8
10 Corey Allmond G 6-1 180 Jr-Tr 14.5 1.8 3.0
4 DeLuis Ramirez F 6-4 205 Sr-1L 11.0 7.2 --
15 Preston Brown F 6-6 225 Jr-Tr 9.1 5.3 --
42 Barkley Falkner C 6-8 231 Sr-1L 6.0 5.9 --
Additional Information:
Big 12 Conference: http://big12sports.com/
Southland Conference: http://southland.org/
NCAA: http://www.ncaa.com/
Half Price Holiday Hoops
• Texas A&M men's and women's home games through Jan. 5 will be half price.
• For more information, go to http://www.12thmanfoundation.com/tickets/B08-Holiday.asp
Series Notes
• A&M leads the series, 63-17, including a 27-3 mark in games played in College Station.
• The teams have never played at Reed Arena.
• A&M won the last meeting by a score of 73-70 in Huntsville in 1998-99.
• A&M is 108-36 all-time against members of the Southland Conference.
Key Game Notes
• A&M and Sam Houston State meet for the first time in 10 years on Sunday when the Bearkats visit Reed Arena for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
• Mark Turgeon 35-12 record is the second best coaching start in Big 12 history through 47 games. Kansas' Bill Self was 38-9 in 2003-05.
• A&M is 7-0 at home this season and has won 53 straight regular-season non-conference home games since 2003.
• Sam Houston State is 1-3 in true road games.
• The Aggies have won six straight and have been idle since a 72-61 win against LSU on Dec. 20 in Houston.
• Sam Houston State has won three straight and has been idle since a 56-54 win at Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 21.
Another Busy Week
• The LSU game ended an eight-game stretch that included four games. A&M has since been idle, but Sunday's game against SHSU starts a run of four games in nine days to close the non-conference schedule.
• After Sunday's game, the Aggies play at Rice on Dec. 31 in Houston, then return home to play host to McNeese State (Jan. 3) and North Dakota (Jan. 5). The Aggies open Big 12 play at Oklahoma State on Jan. 10.
About SHSU
• The Bearkats are in their 11th season under Coach Bob Marlin, who has led them to five 20-win seasons. Marlin is the second winningest coach in Southland Conference history with 187 victories.
• SHSU is led by junior guard Corey Allmond (6-1), who averages 14.5 points per game. Junior guard Ashton Mitchell (5-11) adds 12.6 points and 7.8 assists per contest.
LSU Recap
HOUSTON (AP) - Josh Carter scored 19 points and Bryan Davis added 16, including two key baskets down the stretch, and Texas A&M beat LSU 72-61 on Saturday. It was the sixth straight win for the Aggies (10-1) and the first loss of the season for the Tigers. The game was the second half of a doubleheader at the Toyota Center and was the first away from home for LSU (8-1). No. 19 Michigan State beat fifth-ranked Texas 67-63 in the first game. The Aggies fought off a late surge from the Tigers, who got within two points with about 3 minutes to play. Davis scored two straight baskets after that to stretch the lead to 63-57.
Player Notes
• Senior Josh Carter owns the school record for career three-point field goals with 249, which ranks eighth in Big 12 history. The old A&M mark was 232 by Bernard King (1999-03). Carter is the most accurate three-point shooter in school history, making 42.2 percent. He led the nation in 2006-07 by making 50.0 percent.
• Carter leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage (.887, 47-53). The school record for a season is .865 by Mike Floyd in 1974-75. In Carter's career, A&M is 58-11 when he scores in double figures.
• Carter has had three 20-point games this season, and scored 19 in the big win against LSU. He is averaging a team-best 14.9 points. A two-time honorable mention All-Big 12 pick, he was a second-team preseason selection.
• Carter has started in 81 straight games -- every game since the start of his sophomore season. He has played in 112 career games and is on track to break the school record of 132 by Dominique Kirk (2004-08).
• Junior Bryan Davis has averaged 11.0 points and 7.8 rebounds in the last six games while making 70.6 (24-34) percent from the field. He leads the team in rebounds (6.7) and is second in blocks (15). Davis was named to the all-tournament team at the South Padre Island Invitational. A&M is 18-3 when Davis scores in double figures.
• Junior Donald Sloan has started in 47 straight games since the start of his sophomore year (2007-08). He has scored in double figures in six of the last seven games and tied his career-high with 21 points against Florida A&M. Sloan leads the team in assists (3.6) and ranks fourth in the Big 12 in assist/turnover ratio (2.4).
• Junior Chinemelu Elonu scored 17 points with a career-high 14 rebounds and a career-best 6 blocks against Florida A&M. It tied for the third most blocks in school history. In the last four games, Elonu has averaged 9.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.7 blocks.
• Sophomore B.J. Holmes has averaged 10.9 points in the last eight games while making 46.0 percent (17-37) from three-point range. Holmes hit a rainbow three-pointer with two seconds left to send the Alabama game into overtime. He scored a career-high 16 points against Alabama and added 14 against Arizona.
• Junior Derrick Roland has averaged 9.0 points in the last two games and scored 10 against SMU, making 4-of-7 from the field. Roland is regarded as one of the country's top defenders and held Arizona's Chase Budinger to just 3 points on 1-of-6 shooting in the second half of A&M's come-from-behind victory.
• Sophomore Nate Walkup has become the Aggies' new "Mr. Clutch" for making big shots in tight games. His trey against Arizona with 20 seconds left proved to be the game-winner. He hit a three-pointer with 14 seconds left at Alabama, which set up B.J. Holmes trey at the end of regulation that sent the game into overtime. Walkup also hit key jumpers late in close games against Stephen F. Austin and SMU.
Team Notes
• A&M set Big 12 and A&M records for free throw percentage by making 20-of-20 against Florida A&M.
• In the last six games, A&M has made 81.0 percent (111-137) from the free throw line. The Aggies made just 64.5 percent through the first five games and ranked last in the Big 12 last season at .633. The Aggies lead the Big 12 this season at 72.7 percent.
• The Aggies are 30-of-33 (.909) from the free throw line in the last two minutes of "close games," which are defined as games within 10 points. In the last five games, the Aggies are 21-of-23 (.913) in "crunch time.
• A&M has posted an average scoring margin of +9.8 points per game. The Aggie are out-scoring their opponents by an average of +8.3 points per game from the free throw line.
• "The Aggies rallied from 14-point deficits to beat Arizona and Alabama. A&M was five points down with 15 seconds left in regulation against Alabama, but came back to win in overtime.
• A&M had just 4 turnovers (16 assists) against Arizona, a school record for fewest in a game. Turnovers were not kept as an official statistic until the mid-1970s.
• The Aggies made 50.0 percent from the field against LSU, which had led the nation in field goal percentage defense at .333.
• A&M posted a 33-26 reboundign edge against LSU, which led the nation in rebounding margin.
• A&M's 74 home wins in the last four years are the second most in the nation in that period behind Memphis (78).
• A&M is 62-19 in the last three seasons, ranking it among the winningest teams in the country in that span.
• A&M is one of just nine schools to win an NCAA Tournament game in each of the last three seasons.
• A&M and Kansas are the only Big 12 schools to win at least 21 games in each of the last four seasons.
• In the last nine games, the Aggies are averaging 23.8 bench points.
• A&M has scored at least 22 points in the paint in all 10games, averaging 31.1 points in the paint per game.
• The Aggies placed fifth in the preseason Big 12 coaches poll and received votes in both major national polls.
Family Game Day
• Texas A&M basketball will present the Family Game Day Experience on Saturday, Jan. 3, when the women's team plays George Washington (5 p.m.) and the men's team plays McNeese State (8 p.m.).
• Children (Grades 8 and younger) will be treated to an open-gym with the A&M players as well as t-shirts, posters, etc. Adults will receive a tour and a Q&A session with the coaches.
• To register, call 979-845-4531. Cost is $35 for children and $45 for adults and includes game tickets. Without tickets, the price is $30 for children and $40 for adults.