SPORTS
Isday, January 18, 2(XX)
THE BATTALION
Page 11
N
ggies downed by 8th-ranked Jayhawks
Kansas defeats Aggies 78-57 in front of
rgest crowd to ever see an A&Mgame
BY JASON LINCOLN
The Battalion
tion
■ Coach Melvin Watkins’ young Aggies were a
till undated by ESPN’s “Big Monday” telecast an
It may be only the start of conference action, but for the Aggie
hmen, Monday’s game against the University of Kansas was the
pn mat ion ofa season of hard work with disappointing results.
■ While the Texas A&M men’s basketball team lost 78-57 to the
la> hawks, the Aggies showed everything that had been missing
ipts nine previous losses.
inything but
tnd the No. 8
haw ks. Instead the Aggies took the opportunity to show the
future of A&M hoops.
'I thought it was great. Big time college basketball at its best
|Hund it was on our campus. We haven’t heard that in a long time,”
I^Rtkins said. “That’s what we’re building towards. Once we put
(Hs team together and have all the pieces in place, we can come
|H and not only be in these games, but have a chance to win these
Hncs."
■ Highlighting that future was a packed house at Reed Arena
^Kh a record crowd of 12,175 and an Aggie squad capable of
^■iging with the nation’s elite.
jj^l “I’ve been looking forward to this night all my life,” freshman
|Hard Jamaal Gilchrist said about his first nationally televised
. ga : featuring a top-10 opponent. “It just doesn’t get any better
:& n this.”
|H The only thing Watkins’ Aggies were unable to do was main-
iffin their strengths for a complete 40 minutes. Kansas took ad
vantage of its depth and height advantage to outlast the Aggies.
I The Jayhaw ks featured a consistent 12-man rotation, compared
(■A&M’s nine man rotation with five true-freshmen. That alone
V enough to wear A&M down in die second half. Added to that
jjjgi' Kansas' overwhelming reach advantage inside, which creat-
55-30 rebounding advantage, including 21 offensive boards.
Defensively, rebounding and depth were the biggest factors,"
jPunsascoach Roy Williams said. “They played really hard but so
- not due Tiki we."
* ex pect*| - The Aggies showed their excitement early, staying step for step
^ pita! fo’tW'h the Jayhawks. Sophomore guard Andy Leatherman tied it up
„ n we^ .wrh a pair of free-throws to throw the Aggies into overdrive.
>unds3tH * n ** 1C next seconds, A&M would showcase its talent crcat-
c back-to-back turnovers resulting in a layup by junior forward
^Hirlton Brown and a dunk by freshman guard Bernard King. The
* i sik-point, half-minute am put Texas A&M up 14-10.
Hr IMS The run caused a shift in the Kansas pressure as the Jayhawks
k^-^^oked for ways to throw A&M out of its rhythm. Texas A&M
■liPPHve little room, making the Jayhawks earn every point.
I Kansas would stretch out to a nine-point lead by halftime, but
hi.'i ni i before senior forward Aaron Jack slammed it home, to return
Wei: e the excitement to a tired Aggie squad.
oottaiifX , The Aggies were just as determined for the final 20 minutes.
For the first eight minutes of the second half, Texas A&M kept
Kansas within striking distance.
A&M’s momentum would be short-lived as Kansas showed
why it was one of the nation’s best. The Jayhawks’ defense shut
down the Aggies going into the final ten minutes.
“We had a spell where we didn't score and they did,” Watkins
said. “Once you do that they don’t let you get back in.”
The Aggies would go six minutes and three seconds without
scoring and another two minutes before actually hitting a field
goal. The lapse was all the Jayhawks needed to break away and
put the finishing touches on Texas A&M. Going into the final
two minutes Kansas had stretched itself into an insurmountable
24-point lead.
“When you play a team that’s really up to play you, you want
to try and bury them as soon as possible," Kansas’ Kenny Grego
ry said. “We just tried to extend the lead as much as possible to
hurry' up and get the game over.”
Kansas did just that down the stretch, putting the conclusion
on the biggest game thus far for Watkins’ Aggies. With the w in,
Kansas extends its record to 15-2 w ith a 4-0 conference record.
The Aggies are now 1-3 in conference with a 5-10 overall record.
■
SALLIE TURNER I m Hu i\l min
Junior forward Carlton Brown tries to avoid pressure
from Jayhawks guard Kirk Hinrich.
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Freshman guard Bernard
the University of Kansas
King slams the ball
Jayhawks last night
home after a steal in
at Reed Arena.
/r\\\
the first half of
ikit
GUY ROGERS/Tih Battalion
the Aggies’ 78-57 loss to
Bonfire Memorial Issue of
The Texas Aggie
The Association of Former Students has printed
an additional supply of the Bonfire Memorial Issue of
The Texas Aggie Magazine for current students.
Copies will be available at the Clayton Williams
Alumni Center during normal business hours.
(one per student, please)
The Association
OF FORMER STUDENTS
l/\Az astb The; Aggie; Netu)o*Jc!