Texas A&M
(#16) TEXAS
Aggies Fall to No. 16 Texas
Jan 31, 2004 | Men's Basketball
January 31, 2004
Texas didn't allow a field goal in the final 12:41 and beat Texas A&M on the road for the 10th straight time, 69-59 on Saturday.
The 16th-ranked Longhorns (14-3, 5-1 Big 12) shot just 28.2 percent from the floor in the first half, but were able to overcome it thanks to their late defensive performance.
Brian Boddicker and Kenton Paulino led Texas with 11 points, while Jason Klotz added 10. Guard Royal Ivey had 10 rebounds.
Nick Anderson had 14 points and six rebounds for A&M (7-10, 0-6), which has lost six in a row. Andy Slocum led all players with 18 rebounds.
The Longhorns have won 29 of their last 32 games against A&M. They have also won two straight since a home loss to Oklahoma State on Jan. 24.
Marcus Watkins hit a jumper with 12:41 left to give the Aggies a 46-43 lead. Texas then went on a 16-0 run to take a 59-43 lead with 8:11 to play.
Texas hit 48.1 percent of its field goals in the second half, while A&M managed just 29.2 percent. Despite being outrebounded for just the fifth time this season, the Longhorns pulled down 20 offensive rebounds and dominated the Aggies in the paint.
Texas' duo of Boddicker and Klotz kept the Aggies from establishing an inside game and forced the Aggies to shoot 21 times from behind the 3-point line. They made just six. The Longhorns also forced 17 turnovers, while committing only six.
Postgame Quotes
TEXAS SENIOR GUARD ROYAL IVEY: "We knew we had to set the tempo. Coach put me at the point to slow the tempo and hit shots. We came out in the second half with a lot of intensity. They were able to hit shots in the first half. We wanted more intensity in the second half."
TEXAS JUNIOR CENTER JASON KLOTZ: "We just knew we had to get stops to control the game. We had enough stops at the end to make buckets at the other end and win. When we got down, we were okay with the way the game was going. We knew we needed to get stops when we were down by 5. We were able to hold the 10 point lead. Our guards were doing a good job of guarding the wing when they were trying to hit a quick three. They were getting to the line and when you're trying to get stops, you don't want to send them to the line. Slocum is a big body in there. I know he's improved tremendously since last year. Our plan was to attack the big guy with our big guys."
TEXAS HEAD COACH RICK BARNES: "I will tell you it was a great win for us. I have great admiration for how hard they (A&M) play. This (Reed Arena) has been a tough place for other teams in the past. They didn't shoot well. We were concerned with how they can shoot very well. We had a point in the second half where our outside guys really opened up play for our inside guys. They had some shots that they missed. They had pretty good looks when we had breakdowns, but couldn't get a shot to fall. We missed some shots underneath, but those shots are harder than they look when you are playing guys as athletic as A&M. We came in expecting the game to go down to the very end. We had a little breathing room, but I didn't think it was over until the final buzzer at the end."
TEXAS A&M SENIOR CENTER ANDY SLOCUM: "They are a good defensive team, but we got down and couldn't get a shot. I think we went about 10 minutes without a field goal. You can't win games like that."
TEXAS A&M SENIOR FORWARD NICK ANDERSON: "It was us. We couldn't hit shots and they were building their lead. What killed us is that they were rebounding and we couldn't score. They're huge. We just have to get a little bit stronger. We needed to hit some shots. It's really getting frustrating. Coach is searching for the right combinations for the right time in the game."
TEXAS A&M HEAD COACH MELVIN WATKINS: "I thought we came out and did some good things in the first half. We had some good looks but didn't knock the shots down. When that happens, it becomes harder to knock the next one down. That affects the whole game. When our shots don't fall, our defense drops, too. It was a physical game. When they're pushing and not getting called, we need to push back. We lost our concentration. There was so much energy in the building, especially in the student section. I can't say enough about that. We're missing plays while trying to make the great play. We're not capable of doing that. We make mistakes and that affects our next possession. Mistakes happen, but you have to get past it. Most people make a mistake and focus more. We've tended to lose focus after mistakes. That one mistake leads to two or three before you recover. Unfortunately we have Oklahoma State next who is probably playing the best basketball in the Big 12."
