Aggie men survive cold trip to Colorado

By PAT GRAHAM
Associated Press

BOULDER, Colo. - Acie Law IV's father drove all the way up from Dallas - in an ice and snow storm no less - and arrived with a minute left to play in Texas A&M;'s victory over Colorado.

He thought the Aggies played pretty well in his brief glimpse.

It wasn't until Law's father talked with A&M; coach Billy Gillispie in a hallway that he found out the real story. Although the eighth-ranked Aggies beat Colorado 87-69 on Saturday night for their eighth straight win, Gillispie wasn't pleased.

"They just whipped us and made us like it," he said. "They outplayed us, outcoached us, out every-thinged us. We didn't deserve to win. We got whipped."

Gillispie's biggest complaint was the Aggies' lackadaisical defense. The Buffaloes became the first team to score more than 65 points against the Aggies, who came in allowing the third-fewest points per game in the country at 52.7.

"We never had a sincere desire to think," Gillispie said. "We try to play hard, smart and together. I thought we played together and that was about it."

The lapses on defense aside, the Aggies (15-2, 3-0 Big 12) are still off to their best start since opening 16-2 in 1959-60. The last time Texas A&M; started 3-0 in league play was 1993-94 when it was a member of the Southwest Conference.

"You can't continue to play like we're playing and continue to win," Gillispie said.

No one in the Texas A&M; locker room was pleased with anything about this game. Joseph Jones scored 18 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds, yet he downplayed his performance.

"We take nothing away from this except a win," Jones said. "We pride ourselves on defense and we didn't play good defense."

Law, in foul trouble most of the game, had 21 points for the Aggies. Josh Carter scored 19 - including five 3-pointers - before fouling out late. Antanas Kavaliauskas finished with 15 points.

Colorado (4-9, 0-3) was led by Dominique Coleman with 17 points.

Coleman also had a career-best 13 rebounds. Richard Roby scored 11 points, his 10th straight game in double figures.

He came in averaging 25 points in Big 12 play. Jermyl Jackson-Wilson, who sustained a mild concussion against Oklahoma earlier this week, finished with 13 points.

"I thought our guys grew up in a lot of ways this afternoon," Colorado coach Ricardo Patton said.

After the game, Law hung around the court with his family as the rest of the Aggies loaded onto the bus. When his cousin, Colorado freshman guard Dwight Thorne, came out of the locker room, they started taking pictures. The family took about as many photos as Texas A&M; took shots (57).

"It means a lot that my family would come up here for the game," Law said. "It shows how close we are as a family. It was my dad's birthday, too."

At least the Aggies made his long road trip worth it with a win.

Colorado, though, smelled upset.

The Buffaloes have beaten a ranked opponent at home in each of the last four years, but couldn't close out the Aggies on Saturday night.

The Buffaloes were as close as 57-56 with less than 10 minutes remaining - and had several chances to take the lead - but the Aggies put Colorado away with a 19-3 run as the Buffaloes went more than three minutes without a basket.

In the first half, Texas A&M; went on a 15-0 run.

"You have to learn how to win ballgames and sometimes when you have not experienced much success, you don't know how to succeed," Patton said. "That's what we're trying to teach our guys - how to win."

Gillispie certainly thought Colorado deserved to win Saturday night.

"They beat us in every facet of the game," he said. "I couldn't tell you right now how we won."

NOTES - The Texas A&M; men's basketball game against Oklahoma State set for 7 p.m. Saturday at Reed Arena is officially sold out, A&M; officials announced.

A&M; is still holding the 4,200 tickets it normally holds for students, who can begin pulling tickets at 7 a.m. Tuesday at the Kyle Field ticket windows with their all-sports passes. Each student is limited to four tickets, and there are no guest tickets, so each ticket must have an all-sports pass.