Kansas State University Athletics
Kansas State University
(11-4, 1-3)
Texas A&M
(13-3, 2-3)
Kansas State upended by Texas A&M, 65-51
Jan 22, 2005 | Men's Basketball
COLLEGE STATION, Texas Kansas State could never find its rhythm in the second half and the Wildcats squandered a strong offensive performance by Jeremiah Massey in a 65-51 at Texas A&M loss before 9,692 Saturday afternoon at Reed Arena.
Massey scored 13 of his game-high 20 points in the first half but was the only Wildcat to reach double figures as Kansas State (11-4, 1-3) was held to its lowest offensive output of the season by a pesky Aggie squad that contested every pass and out-scrapped K-State on the boards.
Acie Law scored 17 points and Antoine Wright added 14 to lead Texas A&M (13-3, 2-3), which scored 14 of the first 18 points of the second half to blow open a game that was tied at 30 at the break.
K-State trailed 30-20 with just under four minutes to play in the first half, but held the Aggies without a point the rest of the way and behind six points from Massey went into the locker room deadlocked.
But the Wildcats were unable to keep the momentum going after the break.
Wright started A&M's key 14-4 run midway through the second half with a 3-pointer and Law finished it with a jumper from the corner to help lift the Aggies out of a two-game slump.
Freshman Joseph Jones had 12 points and eight rebounds and Bobby Leach chipped in with 10 points and six assists to improve A&M's home record to 12-1 this season.
After a week-long layoff following a 20-point upset of Missouri, Kansas State struggled to find its shooting touch. The Wildcats shot just 40 percent from the floor, including 23 percent from behind the arc after entering the game ranked third nationally in 3-point shooting at 43.2 percent.
Meanwhile, the Aggies' aggressive pressure defense, ranked No. 6 nationally in field-goal percentage, forced 13 Wildcat turnovers many at inopportune times. A&M also went strong to the glass, out-rebounding Kansas State, 36-29, and collecting 11 offensive boards.
Kansas State returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 26, when the Wildcats take on Iowa State at Bramlage Coliseum at 7 p.m.
