Page 14AThe Battalion/Friday, December 6,1985 Sports A&M faces toughest team yet Cards derail Ags’ train with second half surge Lady Ags to play No. 17 Oklahoma 'V?' By DOUG HALL Sports Writer Last weekend, the Texas A&M’s women’s basketball team went to Corvallis, Ore. to com pete against UCLA, Oregon State and Cal-State Fullerton in the Big “O” Tournament. However, A&M Coach Lynn Hickey says her 4-1 Lady Aggies will battle the real Big "O ’ of women’s collegiate basketball to night at 7:30 when they travel to Norman, Okla. to take on the No. 17 Oklahoma Sooners. “They (the Sooners) will be the best team we’ve played so far,” Hickey said. “They're a veteran club with some really good talent. We’ll have to play even better than we did last week (in an upset win over UCLA) to win.” Hickey said Oklahoma, which last week defeated Western Ken tucky, the No. 4-ranked team in the nation at the time, boasts five starters whose scoring averages are in double figures. “They’re not real big, but they can run,” said Hickey, who faced these same Sooners while coach ing at Kansas State three years ago. “They play a tough man-to man (defense) and are very ag gressive.” mt sAl H H # SL si «« 7 wm m Photo bv ANTHONYS. CASPER A&M’s Tamara Jackson (20) and Lisa Langston (right) hope to apply ■ of 1 this same type of backcourt pressure against Oklahoma tonight. Hickey knows the Sooners are an impressive team, but she said the Lady Ags have a chance if thev aren't intimidated and stick to their game plan. “We nave to be able to run our offense,” Hickey says. “We’ll be one of the quicker teams they’ve faced all season, so we can’t shy away. “t)ne of our goals is to be able to compete with schools of this caliber. We are going to learn a lot. We’re going to find out what our weaknesses and what our strengths are ” By BRANDON BERRY Sports Writer HOUSTON — When the time came to climb The Houston Summit, Texas A&M was the little choo-choo that couldn’t Thursday night in a 68-59 loss to Lamar. The Cardinals, on the other hand, were sleek, well- oiled Amtraks, having as much trouble against the Aggies in the second half as a mountain climber would have with a mole hill. Lamar used a defensive switch (from a 3-2 zone to a 2- 1-2 zone), a three-center lineup and smart ball movement to widen a one-point half time lead to as large as 11 points. The game possessed outstanding individual perfor mances, strong board play and a vocal crowd. The only problem for the Ags was that the Cards |x>s- sessed the majority of the above. The only statistical edge A&M held was the lion s share of turnovers and f ouls. “The key to the ball game was that we were able to pla\ our three big people in there at one time,” Lamar Coach Pat Foster said. “That established our tempo and really put us in control of the game. We controlled the boards and they were unable to get the ball inside. And in a ball game like this, you’ve got to get the ball inside.” A&M Coach Shelby Metcalf agreed and simplified. “Their inside people just whipped us," Metcalf said. “They whipped us worse than (ex-Houston center) Akeem (Olajuwon) used to whip us. They’re a damn good basketball team.” The Cards’ frontline outscored their Aggie coun terparts, 45-24, and out-rebounded them, 40-34. In the closing two minutes of the game, A&M starters Jimmie Gilbert and Winston Crite fouled out on back-to-back plays. Todd Holloway had already founded A&M’s De jected and Disqualified Club” on the bench by getting his fifth personal with 2:13 remaining. Overall, A&M received 28 personal fouls to 16 for La mar. “I don’t even want to comment on the officiating," Fos ter said of the three-man crew. Metcalf wanted to comment, but found discretion to be the better part of valor “They (Lamar) didn’t need three people inside to whip us, they were whipping us with two," Metcalf said like we proved tonight, we don’t need threeolfr would have been much happier with two." Both Metcalf and Foster were slapped w fouls — Foster’s coining in the first halfenab take a six-point lead (28-22), while Metcalfs the second half. After Metcalf was slapped with his technical, converted a three-point play, both technical fod and three more f ree throws to “officially" burythtl and take a 61-52 lead w ith only three minutesleli:1 game. "1 can’t say that my technical foul did us am Foster said. "But l know it sure had a goodefftcii when Shelby got his." Metcalf countered by claiming the official that his “T” was either extremely attentive, hardoflitti a Jeanne Dixon impersonator. “1 didn’t say anything to him (theofficial),! 1 at Winston," Metcalf explained. "The official mind reader and he w as reading someone else) ther he thought 1 was yelling at him or 1 wasouttE (sideline coaching) box. It 1 was out of the box, iksl was right. But 1 don't dunk I was out of the box. j “The key to this ball game wasn't that ledmli anyway. We just had wav too many turnoversai«li| awtul job on the boards. Don Marbury led Aggie scorers with 28 pointiM bert (12 points) was the only other Aggie in « ures. Mike Clifford and Crite pulled down 11 lid if bounds respectively. An added ingredient to the Cards’successfuldal was a highly-partisan crowd. “We had the fans," Foster understated wilhii smile. Metcalf agreed, “They had more people heittal — no doubt. But thev aren’t going to the Cotton So: ther. Our fans are kind of caught up with footUit now and that's understandable. “We just now have to go out and play and do ikl we can." Metcalf said alluding to Saturday'sroadii; against Tennessee. “Every game’s different." Like choo-< boos and Amttaks. dp M, ■ When Buns got ( Neb fit m with free/ 2(p ■ 1 he Ag' etv so it s. hlvitatioHii po >i ■T he tn11 e|