Texas A&M
9-5, 0-2
Iowa State
12-3, 2-0
Aggies Fall to Cyclones
Jan 07, 2012 | Men's Basketball
White, who scored 10 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and dished out 10 assists, posted only the fifth triple-double in a conference game in Big 12 history and the first since 2006. It was the 12th triple-double all-time recorded by a Big 12 player.
Ray Turner paced the Aggies (9-5, 0-2) on the afternoon, scoring 13 points and added 12 rebounds.
The Cyclones (12-3, 2-0), who won their seventh in a row, jumped out to a big lead in the first half thanks to a hot shooting touch. ISU, which missed five of its first six attempts, then connected on eight of its next 10 shots to build a 22-9 lead with just over nine minutes left in the half.
A&M was able to pull within eight on the strength of a Ray Turner 3-point play and a block which led to a bucket, but the visitors closed the half on a 20-9 run to take a 42-23 lead into the locker room.
The Aggies were able to cut the deficit to 17 with 14 minutes to play but would get no closer.
Four other Cyclones scored in double figures, led by Melvin Ejim's game-high 15. Elston Turner added 11 and Dash Harris 10 for Texas A&M.
Aggie senior David Loubeau reached a milestone with 4 rebounds on the day, becoming just the 16th player in school history to record 1,000 career points and grab 500 boards.
Texas A&M returns to action on Wednesday when the Aggies head to Austin to battle Texas (10-4, 0-1). Tipoff at the Frank Erwin Center is set for 8 p.m. (CT) and the game will air nationally on ESPN2.
TEXAS A&M POSTGAME NOTES
Team
- Royce White's triple-double was the first by an A&M opponent since Grambling's Maurice Searight (13 pts, 11 reb, 14 ast) in 2003.
- The Aggies saw a 5-game Big 12 home opener win streak snapped.
- A&M turned the ball over a season-low 9 times.
Individual
- Ray Turner recorded his third double-double of the season (and of his career) ... Turner scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
- David Loubeau grabbed his 500th career rebound early in the first half ... Loubeau became just the 16th player in school history to amass 1,000 career points and 500 career boards (1012 pts, 502 rebs).
- Dash Harris (10 points) has scored in double figures for the third time in the last 4 games.
- Khris Middleton's 8 rebounds were a season high.
TEXAS A&M POSTGAME QUOTES
HEAD COACH BILLY KENNEDY
"Obviously again, against a good opponent, we struggled scoring in the first 5 minutes of the game. You have to give them credit, they're very difficult to guard with Royce White handling and passing the ball. But we have to compete at a higher level. We've got to get more from our main guys because we don't have a lot coming off the bench. Give Iowa State a lot of credit. They've done a good job last year recruiting and improved their team and their talent level. I thought their execution was very good."
Why do you think you're not getting more from your main guys?"
"Well, we have to practice harder. Khris didn't practice two days this week because his knee's bothering him, giving him some problems. I just think we have to compete at a higher level. We don't consistently do that, and that's something we've challenged our guys with on a number of occasions in practice. We'll continue to try to get them to compete at a higher level. Free throw block outs, when the guard gets the rebound against one of our post guys...that shouldn't happen. We've got to do a better job of demanding those kind of effort plays in practice and it's my responsibility to do that."
On getting Loubeau more shots...
"People are triple-teaming him. They don't have to guard our perimeter guys, because you look at what we're shooting from the perimeter. And he's struggling. He'll have to figure out other ways to score, it can't just be jump shots. He's got to go to the glass and get some offensive rebounds, he's got to finish when he gets the opportunity. Get to the free throw line. Figure out some other things. And we've got to do a better job helping him with that. When they're not guarding our perimeter guys, it's very difficult to get the ball in the post."
On Ray Turner's game...
"Physically and athletically he was one of the only ones that could compete with those guys. I thought that was a plus for us. He went to the offensive glass. Even though he missed some shots around there, he was active around the basket. You could see him around the basket. I don't think we got that from anybody else."
On Royce White...
"He can really handle the ball. He's unselfish, and he can pass the ball. He's a difference maker, and you've got to have guys on your team like that to win big."
What do you do to keep the guys up?
"It's early in the year. We've got to get healthier and we've got to compete more in practice. We've got pretty good kids and I think they'll keep trying to do the right thing, but we've got to get more out of them in practice."
G ELSTON TURNER
On the game...
"Tonight they came out ready to play, and we just didn't. There were spurts where we were, but especially in the first half, they shot lights-out. They had a stretch where they hit about three or four 3s straight. That can crush a team, especially when we're not playing as well as we could. They definitely threw the first punch of the game."
On the mood of the team...
"We have to play with a little bit of urgency now. We need to start out games with a sense of urgency. We can't come out sloppy and lethargic. In each one of our losses, that's how it started. It starts in practice. We can't hold anything back anymore. We've got a couple of guys banged up and hurt, and we've just got to play through it. I feel like once everyone gets a little more healthy, we get Khris close to 100 percent, hopefully we can just turn it around."
On getting to the basket more...
"We need to be more aggressive. I know Khris and I need to get to the line more. We can't rely on our jump shots, especially when they're not going. As a team, we do need to get to the free-throw line more. Often times when you do get to the free throw line it just opens up everything. Hopefully if you do get to the line it will get your rhythm, so when you do take jumpers they'll fall."
F RAY TURNER
On Royce White's triple double...
"I think he came in and did what his coach wanted him to do, played his game. We needed to step up more on the defensive end on him, and he still basically got what he came in here to do. He's a good passer. For a big that size that can handle the ball, that's pretty decent. That helps their offense and that really hurt us tonight."
IOWA STATE POSTGAME QUOTES
HEAD COACH FRED HOIBERG
On Royce White's performance...
"Very impressive. You could see it in his eyes when he came out of the gate. He was getting every rebound. He was swallowing rebounds, he was going up there so high. I was really proud of the way not only him but our whole team came out of the gates and got the tempo set in our favor. We got stops, we got out and pushed the ball, and we knocked down shots. It was a total team effort tonight. Someone else I want to recognize is Chris Allen for getting to the 1,000-point club. That's a heck of an accomplishment. Everybody got in that game tonight made a positive impact on the win."
Do you think this was a step ahead for this team?
"I'm so proud of how our guys have come into practice with the focus and the energy that they've had. You play like you practice. We've had the best, most intense practices we've had all year. Not to say that early practices weren't good, but we've taken a step up in our focus. Going into that Texas game I knew we were going to play well. It was a very business-like approach going into that game, and then we followed that up here. I expect it again these next couple of days leading in to Missouri. Our focus and energy, with everything...you can't just turn it on in games. I'm really pleased with the way we've handled practices."
Did you ever believe you'd come in here and dominate?
"No, I didn't. This is a very good team. I think Billy Kennedy is a heck of a basketball coach. The way they defend in this building, holding teams to 33 percent shooting, and holding teams in the low 50s. The big thing for us is we were able to get stops early in the game. That's when we're at our best, is when we're able to get out in transition and push and throw the ball ahead and get good open looks before the defense gets set. I thought that was a big key in the game, was getting the tempo set in our favor."
F ROYCE WHITE
On his triple double...
"I don't know (what it was), just a lot of things. The hunger of my first road game in the Big 12 and our first road game in the Big 12, and having a chance to go 2-0 to start out the conference (for the first time) in a long time was pretty much the main ambition. I'm not really celebrating (the triple double), I'm just glad we got the win right now."
Did you know going in to the game what you were going to focus on?
"No, I didn't really know tonight, I don't ever really know. It just depends on how they guard me. today they had some bigs get up on me instead of sag off. That made me make a play instead. I just took what they gave me and my teammates came through big time and made a lot of big shots, a lot of big plays."
How important was getting this road win?
"We've just been talking about the whole time that we had to come in and get this win. We felt as if it were a must win among the players. I know that's how we felt. I don't know how the coaches felt but we felt it was a must win, and we needed to make a statement right here at the start of the Big 12, and let other teams know we're serious and you're going to be in for a dog fight when you play us."
What does it mean to get a triple double?
"It's something that's just fun. I'm more proud of my teammates, because without them...10 assists is not easy. And it doesn't happen without your teammates knocking down big shots, and a coaching staff that has a lot of faith in you with the ball in your hands."
