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Davis, Elonu combine for 30 in win against Texas
By: David Arno
Issue date: 2/17/09 Section: News
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The Texas A&M men's basketball team snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory against archrival Texas in an 81-66 win Monday at Reed Arena in front of 11,321 fans.
After dropping a tough 72-68 loss at Baylor on Saturday, the Aggies (18-8, 4-7) needed a win to improve their NCAA Tournament résumé. The game was A&M's fifth consecutive win against Texas at Reed Arena.
"We had to have [this win], that's an understatement," said A&M Head Coach Mark Turgeon. "Obviously, playing Texas gets everybody excited, including coaches and players. I thought we were pretty validated; we talked last night about leaving the Baylor loss in the locker room, and I think that we did a good job of that."
The Longhorns (17-8, 6-5) came into the game riding a two-game win streak, including an 85-76 overtime win at Colorado.
The first half started slow for both teams, as they had only combined for 15 points through the first seven minutes of play. The game remained close, with the Aggies keeping a slim lead throughout the half until a jump shot by sophomore forward Nathan Walkup gave A&M a 35-28 lead that the Aggies took into the locker room.
The Aggies held the Longhorns' leading scorers, senior A.J. Abrams and junior Damion James, to a combined two points in the first half.
A&M's energy carried over to the second half as it increased its lead to 12 points off of a jumper by junior guard Donald Sloan with 16:49 remaining in the game. The Aggies continued to pour it on as a 3-pointer by sophomore B.J. Holmes gave them a 58-39 lead.
Behind strong play from James and junior center Dexter Pittman, the Longhorns managed to significantly reduce the Aggies lead during the next five minutes, cutting it to 59-55. That was the closest Texas would get for the remainder of the game, as A&M pulled away and coasted to a victory.
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