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Law rallied Texas A&M past Kansas

Feb 4, 2007 - 6:55 AM LAWRENCE, Kansas (Ticker) -- A first for Texas A&M put the team into first place.

Acie Law IV scored 23 points and sparked a big second-half comeback to lead the eighth-ranked Aggies to a 69-66 upset of No. 6 Kansas in a Big 12 Conference showdown.

A senior guard, Law hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 23 seconds to play and added a pair of free throws with 5.2 ticks left to give Texas A&M (19-3, 7-1 Big 12) its first win over Kansas and sole possession of the top spot in the Big 12.

"Kansas is a great team and we were able to get something big, that no previous Texas A&M team has been able to do," Law said. "Being the kind of team that we are on the road, why not go for it all, just lay it out on line?

"My teammates have confidence in me to make that play. They put the ball in my hand and I was able to come through for them."

The Jayhawks (19-4, 6-2) appeared to have control of the game when freshman Sherron Collins hit a 3-pointer and Sasha Kaun scored inside to build a 62-52 lead with 6:39 to play.

But Kansas would manage just one basket in the final 6 1/2 minutes, and Law sparked a 17-4 closing run to give Texas A&M its 12th win in 13 games - and first over the Jayhawks in 12 tries.

"Acie Law took over and we had no answer for him late," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "We had an 11-point lead with the ball, and we waste a possession and they come down and make a three. Then, we waste another possession and they score, and all of a sudden 11 is six, and now they think they can win the game. That was with 9:54 left.

"The outcome was very disappointing. We tried hard, we battled, and won the battle of the glass, but ... we did not have an answer for Law late."

Law scored 10 of the final 13 points for the Aggies, including a shot from the arc that sliced the deficit to 64-61 with 1:38 to play.

Texas A&M pulled even when Antanas Kavaliauskas converted a three-point play with a minute to play.

Julian Wright scored on a back cut with 44 seconds to go to regain a 66-64 lead for Kansas, but the lefthanded Law buried another 3-pointer from deep in the right corner.

"It was (Law's) game at that point," Aggies coach Billy Gillispie said. "He told me in the huddle before that play that he wanted the ball in his hands. I think he has really gotten healthy lately."

Law scored 15 of his 23 points in the second half for the Aggies, who trailed, 57-46, midway through the half.

Josh Carter scored 11 points and Joseph Jones and Dominique Kirk added 10 apiece for Texas A&M, which improved to just 4-3 on the road this season.

"Both teams played extremely hard. We just wouldn't quit," Gillispie said. "No matter what the situation looked like, we just hung in there. We made play after play down the stretch and I guess that is how you win games on the road."

Collins scored 18 points, including a string of seven in a row, and Wright added 11 and 10 rebounds for Kansas, which lost despite dominating the backboards, 40-29.

"You have to give them (A&M) credit," Collins said. "They played tough both offensively and defensively. Law is great, you have to give him his credit, too. We could have done a better job controlling him.

"We just have to lock down and make plays at the end of the game and we didn't."