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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 1981)
II THE BATTALION Pm MONDAY, JANUARY 19. 1901 f h r~ «! % nboiitij, nd nuj ^ tr< Home—how sweet it is! A&M beats SMU, 71-51, to halt skid By RICHARD OLIVER u Sports Editor Itisavii "Whew! I guess they really structw ceded us after all. in, Ind, A Texas A&M University student n consa iraed to her boyfriend and smiled, trengtb I know they’re glad to be back ision ad orae. I Most of the 7,009 in attendance at ft. Rollie White Coliseum breathed I big sigh of relief with the Texas I ggie basketball teanA Saturday " * light. Since Dec. 8( the Ags have layed nine games on the road, los- 1 ig five in a row before hightailing I* 1/ ack to A&M this weekend. I •I* The homecoming was a rewarding ne, as Texas A&M stopped a scrap- y SMU team, 71-51. The victory asthe first S WC win of the year for Aggies, 1-3 (8-5 overall), and may , _.,e signified the end of a miserable 51 amp which saw the team lose its )0 “ n & looting touch, rebounding control nd often, its togetherness, e count? really feels good, ” said Claude hundre | e y> w ' 10 scored a career high 21 fishing ks andl! blaze, the fa leighbo: illanspf ng mi ng ricity ot tryingl lss “ ppened ointstolead the Ags. “It really feels i woodt reat to winning feeling des wk ic ^ That positive attitude never entaway. Wq kept on workin’ hard very day.” Although Riley played his most game of the year, it was a dnesdav ■® effort that clinched the win for wM, That effort had been notice-. absent in the five previous Claude Riley off 10 straight points and took a 15-8 lead. The Aggies employed a tight zone press throughout most of the contest which produced numerous turnov ers and literally stripped away SMU’s inside shooting ability. Tyrone Ladson and Mike Brown provided some much-needed stabil ity at the guard spots, and their hus tle on the front court forced the Mus tangs to keep their passing game outside apd also restricted any in side shooting in the lane. Meanwhile, Riley, Vernon Smith (17 points), Rudy Woods and Rynn Wright controlled the backboards, another improvement over the past few weeks. The tall men pulled down 38 of the Aggies’ total 47 rebounds. SMU, on the other hand, could con trol only 30 caroms off the boards. “We were hitting the boards good tonight, ” said Wright, who scored 12 points. “We never did panic, even when we were losing (the five straight). I don’t feel that I’ve been as aggressive as usual this season. I’m trying to pull it all together.” By halftime, the Aggies had rack ed up a 40-23 lead. With the clock winding down and Metcalf substituting freely, the Aggies piled up a 26-point lead at one point in the second half before finally settling for the 20-point win. Woods, playing his final game of the season before becoming ineligi ble for the last 13 regular-season games due to grade problems last semester, had seven points and five rebounds in approximately nine mi nutes playing time. The 6-11 junior from Bryan, however, has been having a rough year on the court, and has seen only limited action the last few weeks. After the game, he was optimistic about his future. “I’m coming back,” he said. “I will be back. It (the grade problem) doesn’t really bother me. Everybody has to grow up at one time or another in their life. I see this as my test. I just ask the good Lord to see me through. And I know He will. I’ll be definitely stronger next year because of it.” Woods said he will go to Blinn Junior College in Brenham next semester to try to pick up his grades and believes he will be back at A&M next year. Although the Aggie$ have com piled only a 1-3 record in the Confer ence, some notable upsets over the past week have put them right back in the Conference chase. The race is now only a quarter over, and the surprising Baylor Bears lead the pack with a 4-0 re cord. Houston, 3-1; Texas Tech, 3-2; Arkansas and Rice, 2-2; SMU and TCU, 2-3; A&M, 1-3; and Texas 1-4 follow the Bears in the SWC stand ings. The Aggies face another tough test Tuesday evening at 7:30 in G. Rollie White when Rice comes into town. The Owls have been tough this year, beating Texas earlier in the season and most recently, shocking the Red Raiders Saturday night, 52-50 in overtime. Also, a boisterous Aggie crowd fil- jQUDj, lithe Coliseum. Lines began form- igan hour before game time despite lie cold weather, and several stu.- ents hacjlg befiumed .aw^yi p fi he, d renin UK-began. SMU, after keeping the game bsefor the first five and a half mi- watched as the Aggies, reeled COUNTRY a„d WESTERN Dance Lessons Valerie Martin’s Gallery OF DANCE ARTS VAimi DOWLING ROAD ^ Enroll Now — Class Starts Jan. 27 693-0352 ^ 693-0352 S s N £ Simmons Bedding Reg. Sale Twin $ 99 ea. $ 59 ea. Full $ 129 ea. $ 79 ea. Queen $ 169 ea. *119 ea. All Other Beautyrest Bedding 15% off All Other Brass Accessories LAMPS, MIRRORS, PICTURES, and much more, WHILE SUPPL Y LAST " 10 O/ /c OFF Fruit and • ’v . * . . • • V Vegetable Holder ! / r , . * ** ' . A* • ‘ ^ Y"' M' A /.-i. • ■ t If $099 Grocery List $C 99 Fabulous Fruit and Vegetable Holder for your kitchen or use for your favorite plants. Beautiful brass finish or copper. VISA Credit Available >'vV-'-T•' Open Mon-Sat 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. 3608 Old College Road Next to Tri-State Sporting Goods 846-1194 '! FURNITURE The Owls are led by sharpshooter Ricky Pierce, who was the hero in Saturday’s game, hitting a 20-foot jump shot with time running out to give the Owls the win. The Aggies are more than aware of Rice’s ambushing tendencies. “Rice — that’s all we’re looking toward,” said Smith. “They play us close every game, every year.” Head Coach Shelby Metcalf agreed. The Aggies were ranked seventh in the nation in defense going into Saturday’s game. And at home in front of a full G. Rollie White Coliseum, the Aggies have been unbeatable. “They (the crowd) helped a lot,” said Wright. “It’s nice because we’ve been on the road for so long. We’re used to people booing us and it was a nice change.” Metcalf was optimistic. “I’ve been real proud of them,” he said as he watched his team practice Sunday. “Considering all they’ve been through, they stayed tight.” You probably already know that Swensen s makes really great ice cream. 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