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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 23, 2015)
Make Traditions He Represent Your C, Be a Class Officer Class of 2016, 2017 or 2018? Go to classcouncils.tamu.eclu to learn more about now to serve your class as a Class Officer! Applications DUE: March 25th @ 5:00 pm in Koldus 153AA. Texas ASdVt University Class 3TY M Councils We Make Traoitioms Happen 2015 CONOCOPH1LUP5 Reaching Across the Aisle: The Challenge co Governing FEATURING Ray LaHood • 16th US Department of Transportation Secretary In 2008, President Obama reached across die aisle to appoint Republican Congressman Ray LaHood as US Secretary of Transportation. Join us in hearing about the challenges and victories he experienced working as a bipartisan leader and skilled conciliator in a politically charged environment. Secretary LaHood will also receive the Mosbacher Institute Good Governance Award. Wednesday, March 25, 2015 5:00 p.rrt. Reception 5:30 p.m. Lecture George Bush Presidential Library and Museum 10OO GEORGE BUSH DRIVE WEST, COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS Acceptances oniy by Monday, March 23, 2015 Email • bushschooJmosbacher(S)tamu.edu | Phone • 979.845.1927 SPORTS The Battalion I 3.23.15 4 BASKETBALL Louisiana Tech visits Reed as A&M continues NIT push By Cole Stenholm Two more victories in the National In vitation Tournament stand between the Texas A&M men’s basketball team and a date at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The 2-seed Aggies, once thought of as NCAA tournament hopefuls, return to the friendly confines of Reed Arena one final time. A&M (21-11) must get by Louisiana Tech University (26-8) from Conference USA if it wishes to push forward in the NIT bracket to Philadelphia, where it would play top-seeded Temple. The winner of that matchup would then proceed to New York. The Bulldogs feature three players who av erage double-digit points per game and boast one of the nation’s top distributors in Kenneth “Speedy” Smith, a senior who dishes out 7.5 assists per game. Louisiana Tech was one overtime period away from landing a bid in the NCAA tour nament before dropping the Conference USA championship game, 72-62, to the University of Alabama-Birmingham, which went on to upset 3-seed Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Both the Aggies and the Bulldogs, though, enjoyed first-round success in the NIT after each team scored well over its season average point totals to secure 81-64 and 89-79 victo ries over University of Montana and Central Michigan University, respectively. These offensive explosions could be the re sult of the 30-second shortened shot clock that is being experimented with in this year’s NIT. All NIT tournament play will also implement an expanded four-foot, restricted-area arc. In Texas A&M’s victory over Montana, two key freshmen helped pick up the slack for turnover-plagued Alex Caruso and the ab sence of leading scorer, Danuel House, who has missed the past three games with a foot injury. Alex Robinson took over the point guard position for much of the Montana victory and contributed a career-high 15 points on 5-9 shooting while also dishing eight assists, two shy of his career mark. Peyton Allen returned to shooting form, adding 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting off the bench. The Aggies will look for increased crowd support with the return of the student body from Spring Break vacations. Only 2,583 of the 12,989 seats were filled at Reed Arena for the opening victory over Montana, Monday night’s matchup with Louisiana Tech tips at 6 p.m. and will be televised na tionally on ESPN. Cody Franklin — THE BATTALION Senior forward Kourtney Roberson dunks during A&M's 81-64 first-round NIT win over Montana. W. BASKETBALL A&M SEASON ENDS WITH IST-ROUND LOSS TO ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK The Texas A&M women's basketball team's season came to an abrupt end in the first round of the NCAA tournament after it was defeated by 11-seed Arkansas-Little Rock, 69-60. The 6-seed Aggies (23-10,10-6 SEC) were ousted despite a stellar performance from Courtney Williams on her birthday. Williams scored 23 points and grabbed 12 boards and Courtney Walker added 10 points. A&M lost three of its last four games after losing junior guard Jordan Jones, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, to a knee injury. Seniors Taylor Gaunt and Kiera Clark led the way for Arkansas-Little Rock with 25 and 22 points, respectively. Lawrence Smelser SOFTBALL Freshman infielder Erica Russell makes a diving catch Sunday in the sweep of South Carolina. Provided by Texas A&M Athletics A&M swats South Carolina in sweep By Alex Scott The Texas A&M softball team won both games of a home doubleheader Sunday that included walkoff home run heroics to complete the series sweep of South Carolina. South Carolina (21-12, 2-7 SEC) came out in the first game of the day on fire, scoring two runs in its first five at-bats. In the fifth inning the Aggies (24-7, 6-3 SEC) scored two runs to tie the score at three apiece. An RBI from Kristen Cuyos brought Alex Masek home to score the Aggies’ second run. Following a wild pitch, Brittany Clopton scored the equalizer. Then, facing the threat of extra innings, Dozier approached the plate with two outs, reared back and killed the first pitch thrown to her, hitting a walk off home run to seal the second consecutive come-from-behind vic tory for the Aggies, 4-3. Momentum proved to work in A&M’s fa vor in the second game Sunday. After a Tori Vidales homer in the first, a three-mn third inning gave the Aggies a 4-0 lead. Ashley Wal ters hit a two-RBI double in the third that allowed A&M to extend its lead even further. Rachel Fox entered in the fifth inning and closed the 5-2 win. The Aggies won the first game of the series 3-2 Friday in 10 innings. A&M will travel to Tusealoosa next week end to play a conference series against Ala bama. BASEBALL ALABAMA ENDS WIN STREAK AT 24 A&M saw its 24-game winning streak come to an end in its series finale at Alabama Saturday. It was the best run in SEC history and the second-best start in school history, behind the 1989 team, which started the year 26-0. After A&M won 4-2 Friday, the teams played a doubleheader Saturday. In game one, A&M scored seven runs in the final two frames to win 10-5. In game two, a four-run first inning lifted Alabama to a 6-2 win. Andre Perrard HELD OVER BY POPULAR DEMAND Ox -T-V- -- 0 h mi l la ■■ ’ Three more days to have your portrait made for the 20 IS Aggietend yearbook Walk in 9 a.m.-S p.m. today March ?S, to Suite L400 of the MS(. All Texas A&M students welcome. There is no sitting charge.