Spring Break
High-altitude win
Men's basketball team wins 72-66 at Colorado
By: Brad Cox
Issue date: 3/5/09 Section: Sports
With its back against the NCAA tournament bid wall, the Texas A&M men's basketball team needed to win at Colorado on Wednesday night to build its resume.
In the thin atmosphere of Boulder, Co., the Aggies pulled out a close 72-66 win against a team that is now 1-14 in conference play.
The game started in the Buffaloes favor; with the team taking a 13-2 lead in the first five minutes of the game. With the momentum on its side, Colorado held the Aggies scoreless in the final three minutes of the first half, taking a 32-24 lead into the locker room.
Buffs' sophomore guard Cory Higgins, who leads the team in scoring with 17.3 points per game, led Colorado with 14 first-half points. Aggie junior guard Derrick Roland paced A&M with eight points in the first half.
The Aggies came out firing in the second half, scoring on four of their first five possessions. The 11-2 run to start the half was capped by junior guard Donald Sloan's 3-pointer, giving the Aggies a 35-34 lead.
A&M held the lead for almost five minutes before Buffs' sophomore guard Levi Knutson made a 3-pointer to give Colorado a 42-41 lead with 11:15 remaining in the game.
Colorado stretched their lead to six points in the next four minutes. With 7:36 remaining in the game, sophomore forward Casey Crawford made a free throw to give the Buffs a 50-44 lead.
The Aggies responded with a 3-pointer and a two-point jumper in the next 30 seconds to cut the lead to one point. Senior guard Josh Carter made a layup with 4:26 remaining to give the Aggies a 56-54 lead. Despite letting Colorado tie the game, A&M did not give up the lead in the remainder of the game.
The Buffs fouled the Aggies several times in the final minutes of the game, trying to regain the lead, but A&M made key free throws down the stretch for the 72-66 win.
Carter scored a team-high 18 points in the game while sophomore guard B.J. Holmes scored 16 points off the bench. The Aggies had four players score double-digit points.
Higgins led Colorado with a game-high 27 points. While Crawford and freshman forward Toby Veal combined for 26 points off the bench.
The Aggies improved to 8-7 in Big 12 play with one game remaining in the regular season. They are riding a five-game win streak since beating archrival Texas at home on Feb. 16.
A&M will return to Reed Arena on Saturday to play Missouri. The Tigers are 12-3 in conference and in a tie for second place in the Big 12 with Oklahoma. The Aggies will look to keep their tournament hopes alive when No. 12 Missouri travels to Aggieland.
In the thin atmosphere of Boulder, Co., the Aggies pulled out a close 72-66 win against a team that is now 1-14 in conference play.
The game started in the Buffaloes favor; with the team taking a 13-2 lead in the first five minutes of the game. With the momentum on its side, Colorado held the Aggies scoreless in the final three minutes of the first half, taking a 32-24 lead into the locker room.
Buffs' sophomore guard Cory Higgins, who leads the team in scoring with 17.3 points per game, led Colorado with 14 first-half points. Aggie junior guard Derrick Roland paced A&M with eight points in the first half.
The Aggies came out firing in the second half, scoring on four of their first five possessions. The 11-2 run to start the half was capped by junior guard Donald Sloan's 3-pointer, giving the Aggies a 35-34 lead.
A&M held the lead for almost five minutes before Buffs' sophomore guard Levi Knutson made a 3-pointer to give Colorado a 42-41 lead with 11:15 remaining in the game.
Colorado stretched their lead to six points in the next four minutes. With 7:36 remaining in the game, sophomore forward Casey Crawford made a free throw to give the Buffs a 50-44 lead.
The Aggies responded with a 3-pointer and a two-point jumper in the next 30 seconds to cut the lead to one point. Senior guard Josh Carter made a layup with 4:26 remaining to give the Aggies a 56-54 lead. Despite letting Colorado tie the game, A&M did not give up the lead in the remainder of the game.
The Buffs fouled the Aggies several times in the final minutes of the game, trying to regain the lead, but A&M made key free throws down the stretch for the 72-66 win.
Carter scored a team-high 18 points in the game while sophomore guard B.J. Holmes scored 16 points off the bench. The Aggies had four players score double-digit points.
Higgins led Colorado with a game-high 27 points. While Crawford and freshman forward Toby Veal combined for 26 points off the bench.
The Aggies improved to 8-7 in Big 12 play with one game remaining in the regular season. They are riding a five-game win streak since beating archrival Texas at home on Feb. 16.
A&M will return to Reed Arena on Saturday to play Missouri. The Tigers are 12-3 in conference and in a tie for second place in the Big 12 with Oklahoma. The Aggies will look to keep their tournament hopes alive when No. 12 Missouri travels to Aggieland.
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