i )n/Page1l ■yi5,12 Bi ■ Texas A&M __ mm M ^ dFQkk ■ The Battalion Sports February 15, 1982 Page 15 n will visit il| and 2. caching gd ia Carta artij rls and oifi ild like top; r the exhib. I ggies to battle Razorbacks in tie-breaker by Frank L. Christlieb Sports Editor tciting adir J ts sa ( e t0 sa y (hat the 'I'exas Sfarksaid, U.y-[ basketball team has had a villeventirt|p[ uc k. on its side during the if they doiljjt two we eks. to havetolj(B| ter sharing first place in the ■thwest Conference with the Kansas Razorbacks after a 95- Kvictory over the Houston feugars Feb. 1, the Aggies have Kumbed to the pressures of ■tough road games, falling as ■ as two games behind the ? Horbacks. ■owever, they’ve rebounded m Hi those road losses to Baylor ■ Texas Tech by coming Hie to G. Rollie White Col- wm to record key victories t programI vel SMU and Rice, iption of eh® ibie Texas A&M has been :rs. Hjnning its last two games, the 1 progranuB S Razorbacks have found road pressure, namely that encoun tered in Waco and Houston, tot ally frustrating to their efforts. They’ve watched what seemed a safe two-game lead over the Aggies dwindle into nothing, creating the current first-place tie between the two teams. But any luck the Aggies have had in creeping back into a first- place deadlock will disappear when they meet Arkansas in Fayetteville tonight at 7:10. And just when Texas A&M might need a extra dose of luck, as does any team meeting the Razor- backs in Barnhill Arena, the Aggies will have to rely solely on themselves to achieve their two goals — a victory and a quick escape from Fayetteville. Texas A&M coach Shelby Metcalf kidded after Texas A&M’s 82-71 victory over Rice Saturday night that the Aggies might need bullet-proof vests for tonight’s game. During the past five years, Barnhill Arena has developed a reputation as one of the most dangerous spots in the nation to play. “It’s a double-header,” Met calf said. “The big game’s going tb be getting in and out alive, and the other’s going to be beat ing Arkansas.” Metcalf, with a 174-102 career SWC record, needs three victories in the Aggies’ four re maining regular-season games to surpass former Arkansas coach Glen Rose as the all-time league leader in victories. Rose finished a 23-year career with 174 victories. The Aggies have not won at Arkansas since 1971, when Met calfs 9-17 squad defeated the Razorbacks 87-83. Arkansas finished with a 5-21 record that season. Metcalf said the Aggies play ed one of their best games of the season in defeating the Owls to raise their conference record to 8-4 and overall record to 15-7. “I thought we played an out standing game,” Metcalf said. “Rice is very well-coached and they’ve got a hunch of competi tors. I’m glad Ricky Pierce (for ward, who scored 34 points against Aggies) is a senior — he’s a machine. “I don’t know whether we’re on a roll, but if there’s a good time to go to Arkansas, this is as good a time as any.” Center Rudy Woods, who had a season-high 22 points and 14 rebounds against the Owls, said the Aggies didn’t allow thoughts about Arkansas to enter their minds during the Rice game. “We never looked past Rice because of the caliber of players they have,” Woods said. “Even if Arkansas had won (Saturday against Houston), it wouldn’t have really made any difference because we would have played hard anyway — it was going to be a showdown anyway. “I’m the type of player who plays them one at a time,” Woods said. “Overall, as a team, we’re very confident — we know what we can do.” Tyren Naulls followed Woods with 21 points, while forward See A&M page 17 , recently n .he union j personal f bonuses pi| Sunday, ces will bell line month 1 ! arnhill frightens the lion-hearted be guys were sitting around talking sports. Basketball the subject of the day, and the talk centered on the uoii an amt J 11 P' ons ^P ^°P es the 1981-82 Texas Aggies. On the Ik i(intncrm' s ^ n se ^’ ^ le Houston Cougars were in the process of ur[ luling Arkansas its second straight loss, and the guys ' in; excited. ■he Razorbacks seemed due for a slump, and if there 1 negotianoipever a time to slump, this had to be it. When the game ere condutlfHed, the guys sang out in unison, he past. Hlhis means if we beat Rice tonight, we’ll be tied for first Forddocsspi Arkansas, and then we get to go up to Fayetteville on ae said. Hiday to play the Razorbacks in a battle for first place, dons were iriid if we win ..." ationonWHall it ESP, or perhaps a case of reading the sports ’s two-yearIlion too much, but the living room became strangely i it has lo'iient. A sudden fear spread among the guys, a dread so on. FordbaiHre that it cut short their animated discussion of South- force by JiestConference championships. It was the same fear that rrently bpralyzes college basketball coaches, causes referees to rourly worlHlhiw their whistles and forces mild-mannered ball play off. Kto run for their lives. The guys were scared of Barnhill of the corltBlayjng in Barnhill has become a survival test for the up the imniBc. Opponents call it “Barnyard Arena. ” Opposing team hat will b,! ( ;|| lil don’t dare get near the place. Coaches worry about has said h lieir safety. Players worry that the game might be close, whelming y heaven forbid if the contest goes into overtime. Vf CouncilltH ick to the biff The arena has become a jungle, a place where rabid Razorbacks in red hats do everything they can to help Coach Eddie Sutton’s troops get the job done. If it helps to throw ice, so be it. If it helps to intimidate officials, so be that. If it helps to spit and curse at players, so he that, too. At Barnhill, anything goes, and usually does. What a difference 500 miles makes. Here in Aggieland, we worry about whether the newspapers we hold up dur ing the introduction of the enemy are “rude”. Our student leaders stay up at night, wondering about the extra work our new tradition has forced on the folks who clean up G. Rollie White Coliseum. The yell leaders go crazy if any poor soul loses control and boos, and if our “pep” band plays a new song, coliseum officials stop play to commem- erate the occasion. Other coaches love to play here. LSU coach Dale Brown couldn’t say enough about G. Rollie White. Rice coach Tommy Suitts said his team gets fired up playing in the coliseum. “This is my favorite arena in the league. Td rather play here than in anywhere,” Suitts said after the Owls lost to the Aggies by 11 points Saturday night. Even after losing by 11, Coach? “The fans here really help us. We played really well. The Aggies just played better,” Suitts said. Great. The last thing the Aggies need is for their fans to help the other team. On the other hand, coaches hate playing in Barnhill. Texas Abe Lemons says the best thing about playing Arkansas in the lulls is that you get to leave after the game. The Razorbacks have to stay. Other coaches complain ab out the lack of fair calls from the referees. Is it a justified complaint? Shelby Metcalf thinks so. Metcalf said Saturday that getting a fair break from the officials is tough in Barnhill, but that isn’t the hard part. 'In Barnhill, the big game is getting in and out alive,” Metcalf said. He laughed, but don’t think he was joking. Barnhill Arena is a tough place. Just ask the guys. They know, and they’re scared. photo by C. Michel Chang Texas A&M’s Shelby Metcalf, whose worries will be two fold tonight when his Aggie basketball team faces the Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville, keeps a watchful eye on the G. Rollie White Coliseum scoreboard. The Aggies, tied with the Razorbacks for first place in the Southwest Conference, hope to leave Fayetteville with a victory and as little trouble as possible from the Arkansas spectators. ition d! A was i i why tall! kit UAWbi Ford worke them to i a contrad. AA HMcDonakl's DRIVE-THRU WINDOW MCDONALD’S INTRAMURAL HIGHLIGHTS At University Drive Now on S. Texas Ave. AA I McDonald's I ■ I® BREAKFAST EVERY MORNING At Manor East Mall IM Game Plan TENNIS ENTRIES OPEN: Today is the first day of regis tration for the 1982 Tennis Doubles tournament. Classes A and B will play single elimination, while Class C will play round robin. The fee is $1 per person. Entries close next Tuesday, ors the pnf looked recto rate an) organisi ■ “Thiswill® February 23, and matches begin March 1. e. e been sOmfi ; amountol* ■ntjbutlooit >blem.” Council vkfp ce, will taku esidency Api nembers if tonight, ii» approval!? Idus 111,1)® ntforstudtf diver, pects that . or less, roposal iirf change,!! the totalis 5 required. WRESTLING ENTRIES OPEN: Today and close at weigh-in on Monday, March 1. The entry fee is $1 per person, for this single-elimination tournament. Practice times have been scheduled in Room 260 GRW from 8 to 10 p.m. on February 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 28, and March 1. Matches will begin on Tuesday, March 2 at 8:00 p.m. TABLE TENNIS ENTRIES CLOSE: Tomorrow, Feb ruary 16 at 5 p.m. is the deadline for entering the Class A and B single elimination Table Tennis Singles tournament or the Class C round robin tourney. The entry fee is $1 per person. Matches will begin Monday, February 22. EXTRAMURAL MEETING: The bi-monthly meeting will iversityPwj be Tuesday, February 15 at 6:30 p.m. in 164 East Kyle. Each dub is expected to send a representative. TABLE TENNIS SCHEDULES: Will be ready in the IM office after 2 p.m. on Thursday, February 18. Participants must check schedules personally (do not call). . Free Throw Winners The TAMU team hand ball club practices re gularly. Here Karen Laber- man takes a diving shot and is our McDonald’s® “Be Our Guest” win ner this week. Karen can pick up her free meal coupon in the Intramural Office. G. Rollie White Coliseum was the sight of the Annual Intramu ral Free Throw Contest Tuesday night and 77 Aggies gave it their best shot. Each contestant took 20 shots from the free throw line, and when it was over, the winners were announced. Bill Reed sank 19 out of20 and walked away with the men’s division awards for Highest Total and Most Free Throws in a Row. Denise Pearce made 17 buckets to win the women’s division for Highest To tal, but Cindy Berry took the Longest Streak award with eight buckets in a row. The team competition was equally exciting. Brett and Scott Kendall and Glen McNeil called themselves the “Jets” and cap tured the Men’s team title with a total of 47 out of 60 baskets. “Cool and the Gang” — Ann House, Lynette Ginn, and Cin dy Berry — sank 41 off the back- boards to win the women’s team award. But the corec team, “Wreck ing Crew”, won overall with 50 out of 60 made free throws. Brett Kendall, Lynette Ginn, and Jim Fischer combined their indi vidual totals to win that team effort. Congratulations to all the win ners and to all who competed this year! See you at the Slam Dunk Contest! Attention: Faculty & Staff That’s Handball?? he still The Intramural Office is now accepting reservations to see the Houston Rockets play the San Antonio Spurs on March 2, 1982 at the Summit in Houston. Anyone interested in par ticipating in this special event may sign up at the Intramural- Recreational Sports Office, 159 East Kyle through February 19th. The trip package costs 00 and will include: 1) All-U-Can eat and drink at Mama’s Pizza from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. 2) Roundtrip bus transporta tion in Arrow Coach Lines (refreshmfcnts provided). 3) Your ticket to the game. This will be an excellent op portunity to see high-scoring Moses Malone, meet other facul ty and staff from across campus, and see quality NBA basketball! Sports Club Action MEN’S LACROSSE: Saturday, February 20 at 1:00 on the Drill Field, the TAMU Lacrosse team will take on the team from Sam Houston State. The match-up is sure to he a good one. On Sunday they play Rice here at 1:00. Both are conference opponents. RUGBY: The women’s team will travel to New Orleans for the Mardi Gras Tourney this weekend, while the men’s team takes on the “Heathens” in College Station, Saturday at 1:00 p.m. on the Drill Field. VOLLEYBALL: The men’s A and AA teams are away this weekend. They will be competing against a variety of teams from all over Texas at the College of the Mainlands in Houston. WRESTLING: The TAMU Club travels to Denton and North Texas State University for the Texas State Meet Friday and Saturday. It’s TEAM Handball. It’s playing soccer with the hands, ice hockey without ice, water polo without water. Essentially a simple game, team handball com bines the skills of running, jumping and throwing into a fast moving, exciting sport. Not to be con fused with another “handball” played with a small ball and four walls. Team Handball is played on a court similar to a basketball court. The basic objec tive is to out-manuever your opponent by dribbling and passing and then throw the ball to score a goal. Since it combines the basic skills of other, more popular games, Team Handball can be easily played and enjoyed at first atempt by players of any age. The TAMU Team Handball Club encourages any one with an interest in trying the sport or seeing how it’s played to come to their practices which are held Tuesdays from 8 to 10 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 12 noon in DeWare Fieldhouse. Mem bers are more than willing to teach newcomers how to play. The TAMU Club currently has about 10 practic ing members and will go to the National Team McDonald’s® Handball Tournament in New' York in April. Karen Laberman, the club’s president, reported that there are very' few teams for A&M to compete with. The problem, she says, stems from the fact that Team Handball is a relatively new sport. Women in the United States did not begin play ing Team Handball until 1974 when it was learned that it would be included in the 1976 Olympics. Naturally, one of the goals of the U.S. Team Hand ball Federation is to develop the game in the United States. The TAMU Club is working toward that goal and struggles to generate interest in a number of ways. In the past, club members have conducted clinics to teach area junior high school and high school teachers how to teach the game to their students. Laberman says she would like to see Team Hand ball included as an intramural sport, so more people would try it. Anyone interested in learning about Team Hand ball is encouraged to go to one of the team’s pract- tices on Tuesdays or Saturdays or to contact the Intramural Office for more information. Intramural The 1982 Free Throw Contest was held last Tuesday in G. Rollie White Col iseum. De nise Pearce, women’s win ner, attempts one of her 20 free throws here. at University Drive, Manor East Acknowledgements Highlights is sponsored each Mall, and Texas Avenue. Pic- Monday in the Battalion by your local McDonald’s.® Restaurants tures by Michel Chang, Steven Ward, and Tom Davies.