The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Texas A&M (Semifinals)
Men's Basketball advances to Big 12 final with 70-58 win over Texas A&M
03.11.2011 | Men's Basketball
March 12, 2011
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Box Score 
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- With three-game sweeps this season of both Oklahoma and Texas A&M, No. 10 Texas has already accomplished something it had never done before.
Now, with No. 2 Kansas looming Saturday in the Big 12 title game, the Longhorns have a chance to do something else for the first time.
If they beat the No. 2 Jayhawks, they'll be the first team from the Lone Star State to capture the championship in the 15-year history of the Big 12 tournament.
"It would mean a lot," said Texas guard J'Covan Brown, who had 14 points Friday night in a 70-58 semifinal victory over Texas A&M (No. 21 ESPN/USA Today). "We have to go out there and have fun, like Coach said. If we execute, everything else will take care of itself."
Jordan Hamilton scored 17 points and second-seeded Texas (27-6) had four players in double figures while beating the third-seeded Aggies (24-8).
"Each time we played [A&M] the scoring margin got closer and closer," Texas freshman Tristan Thompson said. "We knew this game was not going to be a blowout. They were playing to play in the game tomorrow, so we knew we had to come out and play our best game ever."
Thompson, the Big 12 freshman of the year, had 14 points and 13 rebounds for Texas, which finished second to Kansas in the regular-season Big 12 race but beat the Jayhawks 74-63 in January, snapping their 69-game home court winning streak. Cory Joseph scored 10.
In the second half, Brown, Thompson and Hamilton scored 31 of Texas' 40 points. Then, when the game was all but decided, Gary Johnson scored the Longhorns' last six points.
Khris Middleton had 18 points and eight rebounds for Texas A&M .
"For us to get where we want to be as a program, where we think we belong, we've got to beat a team like Kansas or Texas," Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon said. "We've got to play 40 minutes, not 37 or 32 or whatever we've done."
Middleton had a 3-pointer, a breakaway dunk and a follow off his own offensive rebound, then converted the free throw in a 12-4 Texas A&M run to start the second half and wipe out Texas' 30-24 halftime lead.
But the powerful 6-foot-8 Thompson got a bucket to tie it 36-all. Ten of Thompson's rebounds were on the offensive end.
"Are you kidding me, how good that kid is?" Turgeon said. "We were trying to box him out and he jumps over you. Then the shots he made were tough, tough shots in the second half."
Brown swished three 3-pointers in a 16-5 Texas run, capped by Jai Lucas' runner in the lane, and the Longhorns went ahead to stay at 52-41.
Thompson was whistled for an intentional foul less than 7 minutes into the game and Dash Harris sank one free throw, giving the Aggies a seven-point lead.
But Hamilton answered with a long 3-pointer and Thompson, on successive possessions, got a slam and a short bucket to start a 13-2 run. Hamilton hit two more buckets and Joseph drove in for a layup and a free throw, putting the Longhorns on top 20-16.
David Loubeau, who had 20 points in the Aggies' 86-71 second-round victory over Missouri, had just four points in the first half on 1-for-7 shooting and finished with 12. B.J. Holmes had 11 points for Texas A&M, which was outrebounded 39-28 by the taller Longhorns in their 220th meeting.
"I think we were aggressive early," Holmes said. "Late, we tried to settle for a lot of jump shots, and I think that's what led to their runs. I don't take any moral victories. It's a loss and I hate losing, whether by one or by 11."
In the earlier semifinal, Kansas got 20 points apiece from Marcus and Markieff Morris to beat Colorado 90-83.
The Jayhawks should be much more rested than they were on Jan. 22 when Texas snapped their home winning streak. The players and coaches had all been up most of the night before comforting teammate Thomas Robinson, whose mother had just died unexpectedly.
"I know it's going to be hard," Brown said. "Kansas is probably upset about what happened at their place."
TEAM
- With the win, Texas improved to 41-33 (.554) all-time in league tournament games
- With the win, Texas improved to 20-14 (.588) in 15 appearances at the Phillips 66 Big Championship
- With the win, Texas improved to 18-12 (.600) in 13 appearances under Rick Barnes at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship
- With the win, Texas improved to 6-5 in Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship semifinal games
- With the win, Texas improved to 2-0 against Texas A&M in Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship play
- With the win, Texas has now advanced to the championship game for the fifth time in the last eight years
- With the win, Texas swept three meetings each with Texas A&M and Oklahoma in the same season for the first time in school history
- The Longhorns are 21-7 against the Aggies during the Rick Barnes era
- Since the beginning of the 1989-90 campaign, UT has won 40 of the last 49 meetings between the two schools
- Texas owned a rebounding edge (39-28) for the 28th time in 33 games this season
- Held its opponent under 40% shooting for the 20th time this season
- Held an opponent under 30% shooting from three-point range for the 18th time this season
- In three games this season against Texas A&M, the Longhorns held the Aggies to an average of 55.7 ppg
J'Covan Brown
- Reached double digits in scoring (15 points) for the 15th time this season and 30th time in his career (66 games)
Jordan Hamilton
- Reached double digits in scoring (17 points) for the 32nd time this season and the 50th time in his career (67 games)
- Led Texas in scoring for the 23rd time this season
Gary Johnson
- Now has tallied 1,149 career points, tying him for 22nd in Texas history with James Thomas (2001-04)
- Matched his season high of seven free throws made (7-10)
Cory Joseph
- Reached double digits in scoring (10 points) for the 19th time this season
- Led Texas in steals (three) for the 11th time this season
Tristan Thompson
- Is averaging 17.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks over the last six games
- Posted a double-double (14 points, 13 rebounds) for the ninth time this season
- Recorded a double-double for the fourth consecutive game and fifth time in the last six contests
- Reached double digits in scoring for the 27th time this season
- Reached double digits in rebounding for the 10th time this season, including a season-high 10 offensive rebounds
- Led Texas in rebounding for the 14th time this season
