Comhuskers send Aggies to
12th consecutive loss, 75-58
By Jeff Webb
Staff writer
Two desperate teams faced off last
night in G. Rollie White Coliseum, and
Nebraska, who was winless in their last
four games, easily defeated the Texas
A&M Men’s Basketball Team, 75-58, in
front of a largely silent home crowd.
The Aggies only had eight scholarship
players available for the game, a product
of four season-ending injuries suffered
by the team this year.
The first five minutes of each half told
the story of the game. Nebraska jumped
out to an early 8-0 lead and held A&M
without a field goal for the first six min
utes of the game.
Nebraska led A&M by six points at the
half and came out of the locker room
fired up. The Huskers reeled off nine
straight points to build a 15 point lead
that would continue to grow as the Ag
gies could not find their shooting touch
all game long.
“The second half was not a pretty
sight for us,” A&M Coach Tony Barone
said. “We might be feeling sorry for our
selves. That's not good. The coaches are
not feeling sorry for themselves. I’m re
ally disappointed if that’s the case.”
Tyronn Lue probably hurt his bid for
an All-Big 12 selection because, despite
scoring 23 points, he shot a miserable 8-
17 and had six turnovers.
“We might be feeling sorry
for ourselves. That’s not
good. The coaches are not
feeling sorry for themselves.”
Tony Barone
Men's Basketball Coach
Both teams had 21 turnovers each,
and Nebraska outrebounded A&M 43-28
for the decisive underneath advantage.
“They play so damn hard,” Nebraska
Coach Danny Nee said. “Kansas State
kicked our ass in rebounding. This is a
tough place to play, no matter what the
attendance is like. Winning on the road
in the Big 12 is tough.”
A&M shot 37 percent from the field
for the game and continued their free-
throw-shooting woes by going 8-15 from
the line. One bright spot for Texas A&M
was their three-point shooting. The Ag
gies shot 54 percent from beyond the arc
and hit five three pointers in the first
half alone.
Shanne Jones suffered a poor shoot
ing night by going 3-8 from the field for
only 10 points. Freshman Michael
Schmidt had 15 points and hit 3 of 5
from three-point land. Brian Barone
had a team-high nine assists.
Coach Barone said that he will try to
recruit some players from other A&M
athletic programs in order to bolster the
Aggies’ numbers going into their next
game at Missouri.
Players from the football team are the
most likely candidates to fill roster spots
for the Aggies. Barone said he would also
have an announcement concerning a
current Aggie player tomorrow.
Transfer-mation
Junior transfer Kim Tarkington has stepped in as the women’s point guard
By Philip W. Peter
Staff writer
A point guard is a dribbler, a shooter and a pass
er. She initiates the offense, sets the tone of the de
fense and is then held responsible for her team’s
performance. Her role is to be the glue that holds
the team together. She will be die one who has all
the pressure riding on her shoulders.
So when Texas A&M was looking for a new
leader, Coach Candi Harvey knew she could build
her team around junior Kim Tarkington. She did
not even have to look to another.
Harvey said she knew she could form a rela-
RYAN ROGERS/The Battalion
Junior Kim Tarkington has stepped in well at
point guard for the women’s team this season.
tionship with Tarkington, a junior college
transfer student, that would be beneficial to
both of them.
“The relationship between a head coach and a
point guard has got to be special,” Harvey said.
“She is an extension of me out there on the floor
and there is a lot of pressure diat goes with that. At
first, she would hardly even talk to me; she was so
scared of me, but that has gready improved. We talk
a lot about basketball and we talk a lot about my
expectations. The more we do that, the better a
player she is going to be.”
Tarkington’s relationship with Harvey has not
been her only meaningful one. She was recruited
to come to A&M by a familiar friend. Texas A&M .
Assistant Coach Tracy Lange was an assistant at
Westark Community College while Tarkington was
a freshman. When Lange left, she said she would
be back for Tarkington.
“We had a need for a point guard,” Lange said.
“I knew her and obviously knew what she was and
is capable of doing, and felt like she could help us
tremendously. I probably started recruiting her
the moment I found out I was going to come here
to take this job.”
“When she (Lange) said she was leaving, I did
n’t believe her,” Tarkington said. “She said she was
coming back to recruit me. Then I started getting
letters and I said, ‘Oh my God, she really is.’”
Harvey said that Lange’s part in the recruiting
was the deciding factor in signingTai kington, aside
from the players.
“The campus visit is about people feeling
comfortable with your players,” Harvey said,
“and feeling like it’s home in all regards. From
that standpoint, I thought our players did an ex
cellent job, especially players that knew she
would come in here and substantially cut into
their playing time, but unselfishly wanted to con
tinue to get good players.”
But as nice as the players were, it was the op
portunity that caught the attention of Tarkington.
“Mainly what I was looking for as a ju-co
transfer coming in as a junior was a starting
spot,” Tarkington said.
Southwest Missouri State had offered her an
opportunity to compete with freshmen for their
starting spot, but Harvey had other plans.
“I talked to Coach Harvey and Coach Lange and
they said ‘Yeah, you’ve got the starting spot be
cause we need a point guard.’ Kentucky was out
based on distance. There was no way that I could
be that far away from home,” Tarkington said.
Tarkington’s experience adjusting to Texas
A&M has not been unlike that of any other junior
college transfer.
“I like the traditions,” Tarkington said. “At first,
I didn’t really understand them, but now I’m start
ing to get into it. The main thing is, I’m just amazed
at how many people are in one class. At my ju-co
we had 50 people, maybe. Now, I’m just worried
about finding a seat.”
All she has to worry about is finding a seat be
cause she has already found her place on the team.
'“Kim is well liked on our team,” Harvey said.
“She is shy, but once you get to know her, she de
velops real and true friendships. I know it has
been awfully scary for her at times. But like every
other kid, the longer she stays here, the more
comfortable she gets.”
It appears that the only place Tarkington feels
even vaguely uncomfortable is behind the three-
point line, where she is shooting 23 percent.
“Right now, she’s having to live and die off of
penetration,” Harvey said, “and in this league that’s
not enough. You need to be a total player. In the off
season, the time she spends in the gym working on
her perimeter shooting is going to be huge for her.
It’s not just about her being the best player she can
be for Texas A&M, but also if she has dreams and
aspirations of playing professional ball.”
But whatever she decides, she has the support
of her friends the coaches.
“In the off season, we’ll talk to her,” Lange
said, “and if that is her goal, she just needs to take
the steps in that direction and put herself in a po
sition to get that opportunity. I just hope that
when she leaves here, she’s made the most of her
ability as a player and made the most of her time
academically and had a great experience. That
will make it all worth while to me.”
And apparently it will be worth while to
Tarkington too.
“If I can get in (to the WNBA or ABL) then I’ll
go,” Tarkington said. “But right now, education
is the most important thing because basketball
won't always be there. I want to stay in basket
ball, but if I can’t play, then I want to go into
coaching. I think I should give something back
and teach someone else.”
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BRANDOS: Jbisll
Junior Shanne Jones had an off night scor 10por ?s,$ '
Aggie Sports Bi
from staff s
/ire reports
A&M double-dips Southwest!
The Texas A&M Softb
swept a doubleheader ag
Southwest Texas State
Tuesday, winning 4-0 and
strong pitching and timely
In game one, A&M fi
pitcher Ashley Lewis thre
plete game shutout, g
three hits, striking out
only walking one.
Aggie third baseman
Whalen went 2 for 4, scoi
and drove in a run, and I
er Stephanie Trumbull wt
2 with an RBI.
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No. 38 women 1
defeats No. 31
s tennis
Houston
SING
By Al Lazarus
Staff writer
The Texas A&M Women’s Tennis
Team passed its first big test of the
season by defeating the University
of Houston, 6-3, on a cool Wednes
day afternoon at the Omar Smith
Tennis Center.
UH came into the match ranked
No. 3 in the region, with the Aggies
close behind them at No. 5.
Playing No. 1 singles for the Ag
gies and winning, 6-3, 6-2, was
sophomore Lisa Dingwall. Also vic
torious in singles play for the Aggies
was senior Monica Rebolledo,
sophomore Kathryn Scott and
freshman Eva Marcial.
Unlike the Aggie’s first two oppo
nents this season, UH provided a
strong challenge until the very end.
Marcial said she had a feeling
this would be a difficult contest.
“I knew going into the match that
it was going to be a tough one, so it
was important for me to win, as well
as everybody else,” Marcial said.
Coach Bobby Kleinecke said he
Studi
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stressed the impon&^i ij
match to his playei
took the court.
“We talked about!*
know when your
be the one, youmigliiy ev
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some adversity,"Hefe w
Heading into douhntly
Aggies were up 4-2, iun.
one out ofthreedoub n t c
secure a victory.Ret ^ if
nior Monica San .Miff | yo
this by winning tl^ 01 ^
match, 8-6. Scott
teamed up for anothff
lory for the Aggies,8 ! j-
Marcial said she thirty
win over a higher-rai’ g ct n
have other teams pay. at
“Now they (othet g no]
that just because wed; nedi]
down to No. 38 (natiordditic
mean we’re not good ted
have always been go‘ rke te
they will have torecof ,Unte
The Aggie’s next it C |
day against Louisiana^ J,
sity in Baton Rouge.
Come join Us In Saving the Lives
Children in the Brazos Valley!!
/v'ci n
February 20-21, 1998 ^
# # i/jO/^tibio
Duncan Dining Hall W
UTS
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Please call 268-3140!
Benefiting G<)/
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Questions about getting involved^ man|
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