Thursday, March 2,21
SPORTS
HE BATTALION
Page. 9
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tack by machine
Aggies fall to Sooners, 77-59
A&M softball team hammers UTA
GUY ROGERS/Tm: Baitalion
l&M freshman guard Bernard King strains to get a shot off against University of Oklahoma
enter Victor Avila (32) and guard Tim Heskett in the Aggies 77-59 loss to the Sooners.
BY JASON LINCOLN
The Battalion
The 21 st-ranked University of Oklahoma
made no effort to hide its desire for the fourth seed
in the Big 12 Tournament as it delivered a 77-59
trouncing to the Texas A&M men’s basketball
team.
Oklahoma (23-5, 11-4 Big 12) takes a one-
game lead over the University of Kansas in Big
12 standings, leaving one of the top four seed
first-round byes in the conference tourney only
one game away. The Aggies (7-19, 3-12 Big 12)
still hold on to hope for the ninth seed in Kansas
City, needing only to win their final match against
the University of Nebraska on Saturday.
A&M men’s basketball coach Melvin
Watkins knew his Aggies were in trouble when,
late in the first half, Oklahoma forward Eduardo
Najera had 17 points, the same amount as his en
tire team.
“I usually play better in the second half,” Na
jera said. “Tonight I knew if Texas A&M had a
chance to win it was going to be in the first half,
so I was just ready to play. I was just trying to lead
the team, get a big lead and then relax in the sec
ond half and have fun.”
Najera’s streak began with A&M leading 13-
11, by the time the Aggies had scored again, the
Sooners had amassed a 13 point advantage.
“That's when Eduardo did some things,” A&M
senior forward Aaron Jack said. “He hit what
seemed like 4 or 5 shots in a row. He kind of took
it over there in the first half. I le’s a good player and
that’s what good players are supposed to do.”
From there A&M would never close within
single digits, trailing as much as 22 during the
contest.
“It was too much Oklahoma,” Watkins said.
“We came out and played pretty good at first but
with this group it’s hard for us to maintain.”
Alter the 17 point first half, Najera would only
score three in the second, while the OU perime
ter lit it up led by freshman guard Hollis Price
who had 15 points.
The outside scoring came as the Aggies
looked to counter Najera inside, alternating traps
and zones and throwing a variety of players in his
way. That only made it easier for the three-point
shooting OU guards.
The Sooner guards would amass nine three-
pointers and account for 43 points.
“I f your going to zone us, that’s what your go
ing to give us,” OU coach Kelvin Sampson said.
“If you try and take Eduardo away inside, we’re
pretty good outside.”
The Aggies were nevertheless persistent,;!
coming back in the second half to close the lead *
to 10 and outscore the Sooners 38-37. During the -
period A&M would cut the lead to as little as J0!
before OU stretched it back out, sealing the game. *
“Defensive intensity,” A&M freshman guard .
Bernard King said about closing the gap. “We
picked it up a whole lot - started to break and run.
That’s when we started coming back.”
Jack and King kept A&M playing at top speed
despite the deficit.
In his first game back from dehydration, Jack
had 14 points shooting a perfect 5-5 from the floor
and sinking all four free-throw attempts. 10 of his
points came in the second.
“1 got a little more tired than usual,” Jack said.
“I’m still not 100-percent but I feel alright.”
Big 12 Freshman of the Year candidate, King,
had 15 points with a trio of three’s to lead A&M.
King now has 75 treys on the season, setting
an A&M record and narrowing in on the Big 12
freshman record of 79 set by University of''
Kansas guard Jeff Boschee last season.
He is also only nine points shy of the Big ,1^2> j
freshman scoring record of 447 set by Iowa. :
State’s Marcus Fizer in 1997-1998, already av- i
eraging two points about Fizer’s per-game pace j
With 16.8 points-per-game.
BY AMANDA LAWRENCE
The Battalion
A&M junior pitcher Amy Vining surren-
lered only three hits in six innings Wednesday
itheTexas A&M softball team downed the
Jniversity of Texas-Ar- ..
ington Lady Mavericks.
!-0, at the Aggie Softball i
’omplex.
The game was score-
ess through 5 1/2 innings
defense was thenameof
he game.
‘Our hitters had It)
ce an adjustment to be
ible to get a hit. She [UTA pitcher Cassie
kandj pitched inside and I told the girls they
leeded to step off the plate, and thev did,”
k&Mso/Mcoach Jo Leans said.
MM senior left fielder Hoi lee Hayden
VINING
cracked open the game and hammered a sin
gle with two outs. I layden then stole second.
It was promptly followed by a single from
senior first baseman Angie Long with an UTA
error to put Long on second.
A&M sophomore second baseman Lisa
Klam stepped up to bat and sent a line drive to
center field. While the hall was being hobbled
by the center fielder, I layden and Long scored.
Klam was thrown out on her way to second to
end the play.
"Lisa | Klam] really stepped up at the plate;
she had two strikes on her and she stepped up
in the clutch,” Evans said.
Next, the catching and pitching duo of Se
lena Collins and Vining eliminated any kind of
Lady Maverick offensive attack by retiring the
side in order.
“Selena called a really good game, and I’m
so proud of our defense; they really stepped it
up,” Vining said.
The Aggies, eager to continue what they
had started in the bottom of the fifth, stepped
up and turned up the heat on UTA in the sixth.
The inning started off with a solo home run by
Collins, her second of the season.
“1 just saw the pitch and went for it,”
Collins said of her home run.
Then the Aggies started scoring runs like it
was going out of style. The Aggies went on
their biggest streak of the night as junior right
fielder Tiffany Esters, senior shortstop Jamie
Smith, pinch runner Cheryl Fowler, senior cen
ter fielder Angie Shetler, and Hayden consec
utively crossed the rubber bringing the tally to
8-0 and ending the game after six innings.
Next, the Aggies (11-6) will host the GTE Ag
gie Invitational II; their first match up will be4:30
p.m. Friday against University ofNew Mexico.
Vining (8-3) hurled an entire game to cap
ture the win, while UTA’s Cassie Brand (5-7)
took the loss.
STUART VILLANUEVA/The Battalion
A&M senior center fielder Angie Shetler hits the ball against the University of Texas-Arlington
Wednesday night at the Aggie Softball Complex.
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