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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 1986)
Friday, February 28, 1986/The Battalion/Page 9 Sports Ags still knocking at SWC title door A&M takes slim hope to Arkansas By KEN SURY Assistant Sports Editor ■ The back door to the Southwest I,Conference title hasn’t closed on ■exas A&M yet. ■ Although that door isn’t wide R>en,the Aggies still could share the SWC championship with current co- Beaders Texas and TCU il they beat Arkansas in Barnhill Arena Satur- Hty. ■" ■ But it's not Basketball ■at simple. gHBA&M (17-10 overall and 1 1-4 in [ He SWC) hasn’t beaten Arkansas in N Fityetteville since 1971. But while the |R;i/orbacks (12-14 overall and 4-11 ■ the SWC) are suffering their iwbrst season since 1974, the Aggies iwuii’t he taking them lightly in their 1:0,S p.m. regionally televised con test. Vjl“0u r biggest thing right now is to || Ht ready for Arkansas,” A&:M Hard Don Marbury said. “We’ll U Kled to play smart and play hard.” ■ Butdefeating Arkansas will not be Hough for A&M to claim the title. ■The Ags need Texas Tech to pull ■other upset as it did Wednesday in Huiih king of f f ront-runner TCU, (>2- pl. Tech travels to Austin Sunday to fpliiv Texas, which hasn't lost a SWC Maint at home this season. ■A&M also needs Houston to drop \ TCU to its fourth SWC loss Saturday in llofheinz Pavilion. ■“Houston’s such an up-and-down Him this year,” Marbury said. HCU) could have trouble again ■turday. 1 feel like it's gonna be a HOnd game.” ■The Cougars may have an added 1 ■■ incentive to beat TCU since it will be Houston Coach Guy Lewis’ final |game in Hofheinz Pavilion. ■ But while A&M Coach Shelby Metcalf knows the possibilities for a SWC title are there, he said he’ll only i concern himself wit h Arkansas. ■’(The SWC championship’s) out of our control,” Metcalf said. “The — thing you have to consider is that T(T and Texas haven’t lost a game at home. We lost a home game and that’s the dif ference.” That home game was the Aggies’ 58-56 loss to SMU, which started A&M’s slide from the top of the SWC to its current third-place status. “SMU hurt us physically and we started losing,” A&M guard Todd Holloway said. “But I think we’re back together after these last three wins (over Texas Tech, Houston and Rice).” In Wednesday’s game at Autry Court, the always-voeal Rice stu dents tiled to help break A&M’s cur rent win streak through verbal abuse. "S-M-U, S-M-U," was one of the chants the students shouted at Hol- lowav when he approached the tree- throw line. Holloway missed the front-end of a one-and-one at the end of the SMU game which would have sent the game into overtime. But Holloway shrugged off the shouts as he hit lB-of-14 f ree throws on the night to help A&M beat Rice, 70-62. Hollowav and Marbury received a lot of abuse from the Rice students due to the pair’s Jan. 16 charge of marijuana possession in Calvert. One spectator had a cellophane bag of f ake marijuana which he con- tinuallv waxed in the direction of the two A&M guards. The Owl fans had a vast reper toire of chants aimed at Marbury and Holloway on the night, includ ing "Junn-kie," “Buss-ted,” “Hunts ville" and “Micheal Rav,” the latter in reference to the NBA’s disqualifi cation of New Jersey Net Micheal Rax Richardson for using cocaine. But Wednesday’s abuse was only a prelude to what the Aggies can ex pert in Arkansas. The weather in the ()/.arks isn't always hospitable for airplane landings and the Barnhill Arena f ans aren’t ex e/ hospitable to opponents. "You knoxv sometimes getting in and out of Fayetteville is tougher than plaxing the Razorbacks,” Met calf said. Photo by DEAN SAITO A&M’s Jimmie Gilbert moves in position for a Cashaw Wednesday night. The Aggies close the shot, despite pressure from Rice’s Terrence SWC regular season against Arkansas Saturday. Lady Ags gun for upset in the Ozarks By DOUG HALL Sports Writer Saturday’s 4:30 p.m. game be- txveen Texas A&M and Arkansas has all the makings of a great basketball game: • Location — The fourth-place Ladv Aggies (16-11,‘9-6) must travel to Fayetteville, Ark., in the heart of the Ozark Mountains, to play the third-place Arkansas Lady Razorbacks, who are 10-1 in Barnhill Arena this season. Women’s Basketball • Importance — Arkansas (20-6, 12-3) still has a chance of moving into second place and thus receiving an opening round bye in next week’s SWC postseason tournament in Dal las. A&M is trying to end its second season under Coach Lynn Hickey with momentum going into the con ference tourney. • Revenge — The Lady Ags are out to avenge their 74-65 loss at the hands of the Razorbacks earlier this season in G. Rollie White Coliseum. A&M went into the locker room at the half leading 37-28, but suffered through a second-half lapse which allowed Arkansas to rally for the win. A&M Assistant Coach Eileen Fee ney said the Lady Ags have taken several steps in this xveek’s workouts to prevent another UA comeback, y “Arkansas is similar to Texas T ech on offense because they are very patient,” Feeney said. “So xve have been working on adjusting our defenses. Every time (UA) comes down the floor, we’ll give them a new look.” Arkansas Assistant Coach Don Paul said the A&M game also is im portant for his team. “We think (the Lady Aggies) are playing a lot better now than when xve played them earlier this year,” Paul said. “We’re not taking (A&M) lightly. “Their girls are probably think ing, ‘Hey, we know we can beat them.’ They have to be fired up.” ur* vffY .veil- orrrt'." d Catfish Dinner & Medium Drink Only $3.89 Come on in to Long John Silver’s for a real down-home treat. You get tender, farm-raised catfish fillets rolled in cornmeal. Served with fresh cole slaw, golden fryes and crunchy hushpuppies. limited time only SEAFOOD SHOPPES Good at: 1808 Texas Ave. & 3224 S. Texas Ave., College Station MSC All Night Fair with < ^2^ 1 PLATED THE AMLIWCAN WAY celebrates 150 years of Texas March 8 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Memorial Student Center Featuring: The Executives l-tex Bobolinks 5-8 p.m. 7-11 p.m 10 p.m.-2 a.m Carnival Booths • Dancing • Hayrides Contests & Prizes • BBQ Cafe