Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 1989)
the Battalion 8SPORTS /EDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 1989 ady Ass cruise B Tom Kehoe 3P0RTS WRITER |acher •gnate 0 be recip. ot . I don’t pe but to •y. total R interna. '■end and Bush and e <d to the ashington fence and ni the oil Tosbacher •'er, nonti- secretan cCain, R- tax slogan i my lips, B Led by Donna Roper and Lisa Btrdon, the Texas A&M Lady Ag- ■es shot down the University of Houston Lady Cougars 73-61. I The game was back and forth un- ffil a furious press by A&M led to 21- 4 run for the Lady Aggies. ■ Coach Lynn Hickey said the con ference win was a big one for her Bub. ■ “It was very big. What made it Bven more important was that Hous- Bnplayed well,” Hickey said. Roper led all scorers in the game Ijtith 24 points. T he senior guard hit om all spots on the floor using long HLimpers and drives in the paint to Bad the Lady Aggies. I Jordon, a senior center, scored Bie majority of her points from Bown low. Jordon used turnaround Bimpers in the paint and free throws B contribute to the win. Houston opened the game with a furious press and didn’t relent the mire game. But the Lady Aggies andled it well and countered with a ietermined press of their own to ■rustrate Houston into the costly ■urnovers that eventually gave A&M Ithe game. Hickey said her team really began to get it together after an official timeout to repair the scoreboard. “The kids got together during that timeout and said ’Hey we’re so close. Don’t let a game like this take us out of the run from really doing something this year,”’ she said. Hickey noted the play of fresh man guard Sheri Dillard, who came off the bench, as the one who really put the spark into the press. With the turnovers coming off of the tough backcourt defense, fresh man guard Latanya Irving sunk three consecutive buckets and a free- throw to push the lead for the Lady Aggies to 59-50. After that there was no looking back for A&M. The lead was extended to as many as fifteen before Houston came with two bucket off of offensive rebounds to bring the Aggie advantage back to twelve. The closing 90 seconds was a se ries of Houston attempts at wild three-point shots and the Lady Ag gies and Cougars taking turns from the free throw line. Hickey said the large crowd was a great asset throughout the game and made the important conference win even more special. The Lady Aggies next game will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at G. Rollie White Coliseum against Texas Tech. Struggling Aggies to battle Cougars By Jerry Bolz ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR A pair of teams battling to gain Southwest Conference respect ability meet tonight when the Houston Cougars visit the Aggies at 7:30 in G. Rollie White Col- Texas A&M v Houston • What; The Texas A&M Aggies (8-9; 1-4 in the SWC) host Hous ton (10-7; 2-3)m Southwest Con ference action, ♦ When; Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m, * WheretG, Rollie Whne Col iseum. • Radio/TV:The game can be heard on KTAM-AM 1240 with Chuck Cooperstein handling the piay-by-piay and Duke Keith; on color commentary. . Both teams are coming off of exciting games over the weekend. A&M, 8-9 overall and 1-4 in the SWC, lost 79-77 to Rice Satur day, and Houston beat SMU 84- 83 in overtime. The victory put Houston at 2-3 in conference and 10-7 overall. The Aggies have lost seven of their last eight this season. “Since the TCU game (A&M lost at home) we just can’t get over the hump,” Metcalf said. “The guys have adapted. I know they want to win and I know they hope we can get something going.” Forward Donald Thompson and guard Tony Milton are the only Aggies to start all 17 Aggies games this season. They should get the call against Houston along with David Williams, Lynn Suber and Doug Dennis. Suber, a sophomore guard, has become a mainstay in A&M’s lineup lately and comes into the Cougar game averaging 10.5 points per game, including a team-leading 16.2 average in con ference games. Houston Coach Pat Foster’s squad is led by senior Richard Hollis and six-foot-eight sopho more Craig Upchurch. The Cougars lead the overall series 38-25. The last time A&M beat the Cougars was in the first meeting of the 1986-1987 season in College Station. The Silver Fox A&M basketball coach Shelby Metcalf looks concerned during A&M’s 62-53 victory over the Baylor Bears Jan. 14. The Aggies are 32-8 in their last 40 home games. A&M hosts Houston to night at G. Rollie White Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 7^30. etcalf, slumping Aggies trying to turn lost season around rtOne of Two By Doug Walker — The acks and ihe Rea- Urban Tuesday ng signs lay take ions for PORTS EDITOR - These are tough times for Shelby Met- If. Nearing the halfway point of the South- lest Conference schedule, the winningest basketball coach in SWC history finds his ”am struggling to stay out of the cellar of eleague standings. He’s changed his team’s offense and |ied to mold a team while relying on trans- ftr players to step in immediately and take on a leadership role. It’s taken a toll on Met- df as well as Donald Thompson, the am’s captain and leading scorer. Metcalfs Texas Aggies, after racing to a eleasing he status n Amer- it said, growing creasing Ime and the only ie unera- ring the segrega- c life ex- t to de- he pros- an their ring ews c° n - ased the State of the I'M Amer- .year-old nets re- e for nn- , c0 nomi c Swinton, c hool at . jn Mis- prog re f agan ad- . c ononnc uality >" ncreased t | jndica- ks c g r0 bene- wth con- mos 1 wa* the one 1 a Pj .vise, and , depa rt „ work- lopt ritv ■ parity LsbV griiy 5 ; Ir black 1 ylanan hat cont- ctl ildren ,-n it 110 'talcart- ,01 8“ ‘ tin" 5 * P b orn 0 n P rena ' KSt!® 6-1 start, are suffering from a loss of confi dence caused by a ten-game slump during which they have only won twice. Heading into tonight’s game against Houston (7:30 p.m. at G. Rollie White Col iseum) the Aggies find themselves in an eighth place tie With the Rice Owls. In talking to Metcalf it becomes clear that even though he’s not satisfied with the sea son so far, he remains optimistic about this year’s team and the future of the A&M bas ketball program. After all, the Aggies were picked to finish eighth in the confernce by sportswriters prior to the season. However, Metcalf doesn’t like that prediction and expects to do better. “We’re rebuilding,” Metcalf said Mon day. “But I think we’re really ready to break out.” After regularly qualifying for post-season tournaments in the early 1980s, te A&M program has been on a slide since winning a tri-championship in 1986 and Metcalf has one thing to say to those who may be think ing of rushing his retirement —Don’t be too hasty. “I want to get back on top. It’s a heck of a lot more fun on top. I want to give A&M the kind of team it deserves.” He has placed more emphasis on high school recruiting recently and plans to bring some taller, bulkier players to A&M in the next two years. However, his main concern right now is turning around this season and laying a foundation for a renais sance of A&M basketball in the next two years. Metcalf feels this week’s homestand against Houston and Texas Tech is a cru cial stretch in that plan. In what is becoming a common occur rence for the Aggies, the Owls edged the Aggies 79-77 last weekend in Houston. In a game typical of their hard luck the Aggies have had recently the Owls, stastically the SWC’s worst free throwing team, converted 17 of 19 free throws to win the game. Perhaps a confidence crisis was the dif ference. “Confidence builds aggressiveness and success builds confidence,” he said. “This team needs to score out of its defense and we’ve been a little tentative since we played Vegas (Nevada-Las Vegas) and Oklahoma.” A&M started the year creating points off of their defense as the Aggies played ag gressive on both ends of the court. Success builds confidence and the Aggies were gaining confidence with each passing game. Although Metcalf had to build a team in cluding six junior college transfers and only two seniors the Aggies seemed to be coming together early on. A&M’s prospects looked bright as the Christmas holidays approached. The Ag gies were confident and positive. Keeping a positive outlook isn’t easy to do when you play a schedule that includes successive games against Nevada-Las Vegas (ranked 13th in this week’s Associated Press basketball poll) and Oklahoma (ranked fourth in the nation). “Playin’ Vegas and O.U. back to back really hurt us,” Metcalf said. “It shattered our concfidence but I don’t think there’s a team in our conference thath wouldn’t have come out scarred.” UNLV’s Runnin’ Rebels dealt more than a lopsided loss to the Aggies in the title game of the Runnin’ Rebel Classic. A&M suffered a 110-67 blowout loss in which turnovers accounted for most of the See Metcalf/Page 11 Swimmim Am $95 Student Semester Special ...A Whole lot more! •Racquetball •Aerobics •Basketball •Volleyball •Tennis •Indoor Pool •Indoor Track •Weights •Water Aerobics •Karate No monthly dues, no main- tenence fees, no aerobic fees Join before Jan. 31st and receive a free tanning package Aerofit Club and Activities Center 1900 West Villa Maria Bryan, TX 77801 ’88 Model Closeouts! Quantities Limited-Hurry While Supplies Last! Specialized Hardrock ATB reg $379 95 NOW $3 24 95 Specialized Rockhopper ATB reg $449 95 NOW$399 95 Raleigh Aluminum Flashpoint reg $359 95 NOW$319 95 Schwinn World 10-speed reg $217 95 NOW$199 95 Accessories Vetta Cycle Computer reg $34 95 NOW $19 95 Cannondale Mesh Back Leather gloves reg $ 19 95 pr NOW $9 95 pr Summit U Lock extra long w/ carrying bracket $27 95 Come in for other specials! AGGIELAND SCHWINN! inc Not valid with other coupons * * Your information Station for upcoming rides & events 315 Texas Ave S. 845-1946 COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS 907 Harvey Road (Woodstone Shopping Center) -WE DELIVER- CALL 764-JUAN HAPPY HOUR Monday-Friday 11-7 FREE TACO BAR Thursday-Friday 4-7 FREE MUNCHIES Monday-Wednesday 4-7 990 Margaritas All Day DON’T FORGET US AT LUNCH. FASTEST SERVICE IN TOWN! Late Night Happy Hour Thursday-Friday 10pm -12pm -Free Munchies- Safer Than Sunshine! Get a jump on Soring Break with a rich, natural tan. from College Station’s state-of-the-art tanning salon. You can have that healthy, golden glow for a price that keeps your wallet in shape, too. Call today for an appointment. Mon.-Frl. 9a.m.-9p.m. Sat. 9a.m.-6p.m. Perfect Tan • Post Oak Square, Harvey Road 764-2771 Official Tanning Center of The