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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 2004)
NEH lALIt Sports The Battalion Page 1B • Thursday, February 26, 2004 First win slips away as Aggies lose to Baylor mertime proves too much for Aggies BATON nmte By Troy Miller THE BATTALION Texas A&M sophomore brward Antoine Wright to do was hit one of two free iwswith three seconds left in [illation and the score tied 57- |1 with the Baylor Bears. Wright missed both and the jamewent into overtime where jyermanned Bears (8-18, ^Big 12) won 67-61. thought (momentum pg their way), but it never Mhave been in overtime,” A&M head coach Melvin |is. “Players have got to jiiialie plays.” Baylor senior guard Matt nan took over in overtime, ing eight of Baylor’s 10 time points including a shot (Id-beating jump shot with 1:35 left to play. of the A&M coaches ime it was a lucky shot,” Span said. “I said ‘Sir, I in't think I could ever make in shot again.’ Sometimes it’s tier to be lucky than good.” Sayman finished the game iJi 15 points and five rebounds. Before the 2003-04 season ip. it was supposed to be ivlor that would have trouble tinning a Big 12 conference pne. After scandal rocked the capus in the fall leaving the Bars with just six scholarship (flyers, new head coach Scott Dp was given a team that most believed couldn’t hang with Big 12 ball clubs. Install,it’s Texas A&M (7-17, (Wytawinless in the Big 12. a don’t have the atti- tftfAegot this game, let’s finish it out,”’ Watkins said. “In this conference if you’re going to win, you’ve got to get it done.” After an atrociously sloppy first half of play, in which Baylor and A&M combined for the same number of turnovers as field goals (22), the Aggies held a 29-27 lead. The A&M lead increased to eight with 14:31 left on a jump shot by Wright, but every time A&M See Basketball on page 3B We are America's #1 Brake Service Company for A9 S 979-764-1844 BRYAN COLLEGE STATION zes. «nt$ eld. -e, is Carkeeper Brakes 11 Year/12,000 Mile Warranty $ 9 Ins 99 1 Vosl Cars 4W Installation Extra lifetime VSD Brakes $30 teCors%^ 99 Plus Installation! Lifetime Warranty! I 45 pi. Brake Inspection Included I jttip ItolroM will! any other offer. - I servi(e (M/0/15 J liwiKM 2715 S. Texas Ave. -Across from Wal-Mart corner of S. Texas Ave & Harvey Mitchell Pkwy Open Monday - Saturday 7:00am - 6:00pm Engine Light On? We can help FREE Car Maintenance Inspection For Ag's Lube, Oil & Filter 17 95 The People Who Know Use Valvoline Up to 5 Qts. 10W/30 Most cars & light trucks diesel vehicles excluded. Synthetic oil extra. With coupon. Not valid with any other offer. Coupon must be presented ot time of service. Expires 02.28.04. Total Car Care - From Wiper Blades to Engine Repair USC Diversity Presents n Evening with Maya A ngelou ” las, Murday, February 28ti Rudder Auditorium 6:30 p.m. Free Admission* 'Please note: seating is on a first come, first serve basis. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Jt/k % i X 11# ^ Memorial Student Center * Texas A&M University v more information, or information regarding m accessibility, please contact MSC Diversity at 845-1515 Watkins on his way out as A&M coach lit . * ; TROY MILLER JP Beato III • THE BATTALION | A&M sophomore guard/forward Antoine Wright prepares to shoot one of his two free throws with three seconds left against Baylor Wednesday. Wright missed both to send the game into overtime. Baylor won 67-61. Losing to probation- stricken Baylor at the tail-end of a winless con- f e r e n c e campaign doesn’t help matters when your s i x - y e a r winning percentage is .357. For Texas A&M men’s bas ketball head coach Melvin Watkins, the final buzzer of his era at A&M has already gone off, according to sources with in the Athletic Department. Despite being one of the most-liked figures in the department, nothing less than a Big 12 tournament champi onship will change his situa tion - too bad history is against him as A&M is the only school without a Big 12 tournament victory since the conference was formed in 1996. Now A&M Athletic Director Bill Byrne will have his hardest, yet most important decision to make. The A&M Athletic Department is losing millions of dollars in potential revenue by fielding a mediocre basketball program, and it’s no secret that Byrne wants that to change. So who should replace Watkins? The answer to that question isn’t easy as A&M is known as a black hole for men’s basket ball coaching careers. After Shelby Metcalf, the most successful coach in A&M history, left the program John C. Livas • THE BATTALION A&M head coach Melvin Watkins draws up a play during a timeout in the Aggies’ 67-61 loss to Baylor Wednesday. during the 1989-90 season, Kermit Davis Jr. entered the lead role. Davis lasted one' season after going 8-21. Then came the sideline tirades of Tony Barone. His tie throwing antics were amusing, but that’s all that would make Aggie fans smile as Barone had just one winning season in seven years in Aggieland. Then came Watkins, the coach from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte who, in two seasons as 49er head coach, led his alma mater to two straight 20-win campaigns and two straight NCAA tour nament berths. At Charlotte, Watkins won, and he did it by recruiting the best classes Charlotte had ever seen. 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