Texas A&M
10-6, 1-3
Texas Tech
7-9, 0-4
A&M Tops Tech, 67-54
Jan 14, 2012 | Men's Basketball
Complementing a solid offensive effort-one which saw five A&M players score in double figures and the team shoot nearly 50 percent from the floor-was a defensive show that forced 23 Red Raider turnovers and held Tech to 33 percent shooting, its second lowest output of the season.
The win was the first for the Aggies (10-6, 1-3) in the young Big 12 season, while Tech fell to 7-9 and 0-4.
A&M got 12 points apiece from Khris Middleton, Elston Turner and Naji Hibbert-who drained three treys off the bench to reach a season high-while adding 11 from Dash Harris and 10 from Ray Turner. It marked the first time this year than the Aggies put five in double figures.
Texas A&M used its best first half of the season in Big 12 play to take a 17-point lead into the locker room.
The Aggies raced out to a 14-2 advantage through hot shooting and strong defense, making 6 of 9 from the floor and holding the Red Raiders without a field goal for the first 11 minutes of the game. Tech finished the first half with a season-low 17 points.
A&M would extend its lead to as many as 25 points in the second half. The Red Raiders reached the final margin with a Luke Adams 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The battle on the glass was won by Texas A&M, which out-rebounded Texas Tech 36-28. The Aggies shot 47.8 percent from the floor, their highest in Big 12 play and the fourth-highest output of the season.
Harris added 7 assists, against just one turnover, and 4 steals, while Middleton blocked a career-high 3 shots.
Jaye Crockett scored a career high 19 points for Texas Tech and added 8 rebounds. Jordan Tolbert pulled down a game-high 9 boards.
The Aggies have a quick turnaround and will head to Columbia tomorrow afternoon for a Big Monday matchup against the ninth-ranked Missouri Tigers (16-1, 3-1). Tipoff on Monday is set for 4:30 p.m. (CT) at Mizzou Arena, and the game will air nationally on ESPN.
TEXAS A&M POSTGAME NOTES
Team
- A&M placed 5 players in double figures for the first time this season.
- Texas A&M held Texas Tech to 20 first-half points, a season low for the Red Raiders.
- Texas A&M forced the Red Raiders into a season-high 23 turnovers.
- A&M held Tech without a field goal for the first 11 minutes of the game.
- The Aggies' 12 first-half field goals were a season high in Big 12 play (previous 10 vs Iowa State).
- A&M won its fifth straight game against Texas Tech, a school record.
Trends
- A&M improved to 9-1 when holding its opponent under 40 percent shooting, and 8-0 when holding a team under 35 percent.
- A&M is 10-0 in games where it holds foes under 60 points.
- The Aggies improved to 9-1 when out-rebounding their opponent.
- A&M improved to 10-0 when leading at the half.
Individual
- Dash Harris had 7 assists, one shy of his season and career high ... he matched a season high with 4 steals.
- Harris broke into the career top 10 in both assists (344 total) and steals (128).
- Naji Hibbert's 12 points and 3 treys were both season highs.
- Daniel Alexander blocked a season (and career) high 2 shots.
- Khris Middleton set a career high with 3 blocks.
TEXAS A&M POSTGAME QUOTES
HEAD COACH BILLY KENNEDY
It's really good to get a win and do it in a fashion where you thought your team offensively and defensively. I'm proud of Khris for fighting through what he's been through.
How big was this win, was it good to win with Billy coming back?
It has nothing to do with Billy, he helped build this program, I'm thankful for him. He's building their program now, and it's going to take some time. I'm just glad we won.
On the team having fun out there
Winning and when you do things right you have fun, that's why you play this game. I thought we did a good job of sharing the ball, Dash probably had his best first half of the year in the first half, sharing the ball. It's good to break 60.
On getting good minutes from the bench
It was both ways, I thought Daniel Alexander and Naji Hibbert came in and gave us some good minutes. It was probably difficult for both teams in the post with the fouls.
On Naji Hibbert's play
He made his first shot and gave him confidence. Him and Zach Kinsley- one day Zach is good, one day Naji is good. He did well in practice, I'm glad he kept his confidence and gave us a big lift.
Were you concerned when Dash went down?
It's a major concern. Getting the ball up the floor, he does such a great job defensively. In this game, it didn't hurt us as much as it would with Missouri.
On Billy Gillispie's program and what he's building.
He's got seven freshmen, and a young team, and when your freshman is the best player you have, you're going to have him for a long time. He's building his program and putting his system in. And he's been successful getting his system in.
JUNIOR GUARD NAJI HIBBERT
What were you thinking going into the game?
I just wanted to be aggressive and if I got my opportunity, I tried to take advantage of it and try to build on that.
On this season being a tough one and shooting well.
It's been a rough year for me so far, ups and downs and still trying to get used to the situation. I try not to look on stats stuff, you can't judge a person on stats. I've been making shots in practice and it did translate over into the game today.
How important was it to make your first shot?
It was very important, just to see it go down. I've been shooting some shots and not making them in the games, but to see it go down is a confidence booster.
SENIOR GUARD DASH HARRIS
On what the team did well
I think we just came out aggressive, some shots fell for us early in the game. Khris got out to a great start, and everyone followed him. We got some good looks early, some easy buckets.
What was your role today?
My goal today was to get everyone involved. The fact that we were making shots helped out a lot. Defensively, we let out defense translate into our offense.
How important was this win?
It was very important. Couldn't go 0-4. It's tough being 1-3, but just knowing that we needed this win, pretty much back against the wall. That's what we needed.
It looks like you guys are smiling and having fun out there now
It's easy to smile when you're winning. We've been having fun in practice, and it's our practice habits that we need to work on.
How do you turn around and play Missouri on Monday?
It's preparation. The coaches get together and make a great game plan as always. Enjoy this one today, and then get back to work tomorrow for Missouri. It's just locking in, game by game, our goal is to go on the road and get a win. I'm sure everyone will be ready on Monday.
TEXAS TECH POSTGAME QUOTES
HEAD COACH BILLY GILLISPIE
Opening statement
Not very good, we got our tail kicked and I don't like it. The people who are here know that about me. It's a business venture for us, and we came down and didn't take care of business.
On A&M's defensive pressure and Tech's struggles
They played good defense, we knew that going into the game. We haven't finished plays, we haven't been finishing plays.
On the lack of production from starters
We didn't get hardly anything from those guys. If you're going to try to win on the road, you have to do better than that.
What caused some of the problems today?
We had too many turnovers, number one. But a lot of the times we just didn't get in the right spot to make the right play.
Was it weird being back, but in the visitor's locker room?
It wasn't weird, as a coach you get used to going a lot of places. I think they have a different locker room now than what we had. It wasn't weird at all. It was great to be back, but it wasn't our number one objective.
On the A&M community.
There's a lot of great people here and a lot of great relationships with players. I'm just disappointed that all those people that know what we can do saw us not compete better than what we did.
SOPHOMORE FORWARD JAYE CROCKETT
What things were going wrong for you at the start?
We didn't execute on plays, people weren't going to the right spots, cutting hard, running screens; real simple things.
Did you guys get stuck in a hole early?
We dug ourselves in the hole and tried to fight back at the end, and we just can't do that.
Was this game different with coach Gillispie being back in College Station?
Coach is the same every game, he's going to go the same every game, 100 percent, and try to get us to do the same.
What has helped you start to be a bigger impact on the team?
My health has a big part of any athlete, but a lot of people like Jordan Tolbert have been doing well and they doubled him and opened up shots for me. Other people have been playing well and opening things up for me as well.
Is it difficult to take a few steps back after getting on a positive streak?
Yeah, it's frustrating to lose when you take steps back. Like I said, digging yourself in a hole and then having to fight back is rough.
FRESHMAN FORWARD CLARK LAMMERT
What made you fight so hard even until the last minute?
I think it came down to pride, when you wear this jersey, you have to give it all you have. We came to the end and tried to give our best.
