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Sports
The Battalion
Page 5 • Tuesday, November 26,
odaj Aggies open season on sour note, lose 65-59
BRIAN RUFF* THE BATTALION
llunior guard Toccara Williams fights toward the basket against
^Northwestern State Monday at Reed Arena in the Aggies’ season opener.
By Gary Livingston
THE BATTALION
Poor shooting and weak defense con
tributed to the Texas A&M women’s
basketball team’s defeat, as it dropped
the home and season opener to the
Northwestern State Demons 65-59 on
Monday night.
For the game, the Aggies shot a dismal
25.6 percent and were three for 22 from
the three-point line for 13.6 percent.
Even though the Aggies outrebounded
the Demons 58-55, head coach Peggie
Gillom said that stat was misleading.
“We got a lot, but then coughed it
up,’’ Gillom said. “We weren’t tough.
We were playing passive and they got
too many second opportunities.”
A&M did not play the way it had in
the first two exhibition games. In those
games at least four players scored in
double digits and junior Janae Derrick
led the team in scoring.
Against the Demons only two Aggies,
senior Kim Moore and junior Toccara
Williams, scored in double digits.
Derrick was 0-3 on the night with her
only two points coming from free throws.
“We came out not ready to play, and
they did,” Gillom said. “We shot bad in
the first half but since we were only
down 25-24, I thought that was OK. We
couldn’t get going on offense or
defense, and I think if we played
defense we would have won.”
The Demons seemed to control the
momentum and the game all night, con
stantly catching the Aggies off guard
and not letting them get into a rhythm.
Coach James Smith, who won the
300th game of his career, said the team
had a massive effort to rebound, and said
part of his team’s success is its experience.
“We were 22-7 last year, and have all
five starters returning,” Smith said. “I
was pleased with our performance and
thought our defense was good at times.”
Smith added that he thought his team
made it a half court game, not allowing
Hidalgo recovering from gunshot
HOUSTON (AP) — Houston
Astros outfielder Richard Hidalgo
sustained muscle and nerve dam-
when he was shot during an
attempted carjacking in Venezuela
last week, general manager Gerry
Hunsicker said Monday.
Hidalgo has been examined by
two team physicians since return
ing to Houston on Sunday.
Hunsicker described Hidalgo as
being in “good spirits.”
“He’s got some numbness in
his little finger and ring finger as
well as weakness in the fingers
and hand area,” Hunsicker said.
Doctors plan some additional
■ nerve and circulatory tests and
will monitor Hidalgo for the next
10 to 14 days before deciding if
surgery is needed.
“If surgery is necessary it will
be to explore and decompress the
nerve,” Hunsicker said. “Whether
surgery is necessary or not, the doc
tors are cautiously optimistic that
he’ll be ready and available to par
ticipate in spring training next
February.”
Hunsicker said the team’s
biggest concern now is how seri
ous the nerve damage is and how
to go about repairing it.
The 27-year-old right fielder
was shot Thursday in the left fore
arm during an attempted carjack
ing at an intersection near his
home in Valencia, about 90 miles
from Caracas, Venezuela. Hidalgo
bats and throws right-handed.
Hunsicker said that Hidalgo
was on his way to meet someone
when two men came up to his car.
One stood in front of it and the
other by the driver’s side window.
As Hidalgo started to drive away,
the men beside the window fired a
shot into the car, Hunsicker said.
Hidalgo was released from the
hospital later that day. He recov
ered at home until returning to
Houston on Sunday.
He has struggled since signing
a four-year, $32 million contract.
He missed the final six weeks
of the season because of a
strained hip, finishing with a .235
average, 15 home runs and 48
RBIs in 114 games.
While in Venezuela he has
been in a workout program
ordered by Hunsicker.
Turmoil and rising crime in
Venezuela have prompted some
major leaguers to remain in the
United States during the offseason.
Magglio Ordonez, a Venezuelan
outfielder with the Chicago White
Sox, narrowly escaped a confronta
tion with thieves two weeks ago in
Puerto La Cruz, about 210 miles
from the capital.
A&M to get easy baskets, and control
ling the ball as much as possible con
tributed to his team’s victory.
He jokingly added that 300 wins
means you’re old, and that it’s the play
ers, not coaches, who usually win
games.
“Not too many people know about
our program because we’re in the
Southland Conference,” Smith said.
“But we have a good team. We’ve won
at least 20 games every year over the
past five years. We’ve only had two los
ing seasons since I’ve been here.”
Coach Gillom, who was notably dis
traught after the loss, said her players are
better than how they played and they have
to show they want to win if they expect to
compete for the rest of the season.
“We can’t be on the court with them,”
Gillom said. “I’ll say this, we had the
shots, we just did not score.”
A&M will return to action on Nov. 30
when it begins the Whataburger
Basketball Classic at Reed Arena.
SPORTS IN BRIEF
Morris suspended for Texas-A&M
game following arrest for DWI
Texas A&M head football coach R.C. Slocum sus
pended linebacker Jared Morris indefinitely after
Morris was arrested on driving while intoxicated
charges by the College Station Police Department.
Morris was pulled over after reportedly reaching
speeds of nearly 70 miles per hour on Texas Avenue
Nov. 16 following the A&M-Missouri football game.
Morris reportedly performed poorly on field sobriety
tests after being stopped and was taken to the Brazos
County Jail until Sunday morning.
Slocum told the Bryan-College Station Eagle, "It
would be my take, right now, that it would last
beyond the Texas game."
Morris has started 10 games for A&M this season,
but did not receive playing time in the Missouri game
prior to his arrest due to a knee injury.