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Abrams shoots No. 16 Texas past New Mexico State

Nov 24, 2007 - 3:01 AM By Ian Parker Special to PA SportsTicker

NEWARK, New Jersey (Ticker) - A.J. Abrams continued his hot form from 3-point range, but an ailment robbed him of a place in Texas history.

The junior guard hit a barrage of 3-pointers to help No. 16 Texas to a 102-87 victory over New Mexico State in the semifinals of the Legends Classic on Friday.

But having made of 9-of-12 from the arc, Abrams suffered a cramp in his right leg with 10:51 to go in the second half.

After lengthy treatment, he returned with 7:51 to go but failed to make the final 3-pointer he needed to tie the single-game school record of 10 set by Al Coleman in 1997.

Abrams took his season tally of 3-pointers to 22 as he seeks to break his own Big 12 single-season record of 120 set in 2006-07.

"You see it happen in practice all the time," Longhorns coach Rick Barnes said. "When he gets going he can really shoot the ball."

Finishing with 31 points, Abrams broke his previous career-high 30 set just five days ago against Arkansas-Monticello.

With Abrams struggling late in the game, D.J. Augustin picked up the slack to ensure the Longhorns (4-0) stayed in front of a New Mexico State team with plenty of fight in it.

"I give credit to my teammates," Abrams said. "D.J. draws a lot of attention and he's always gonna find the open man."

Augustin scored 25 points, shooting 11-of-15 from the field.

D.J. and A.J., they're both great player, they're both NBA players," Aggies coach Marvin Menzies said. "They played like it tonight and they have been playing like it."

"We have a lot of confidence in what A.J. and D.J. can do," Barnes said. "D.J. was very good. When they were trying to make a push, he has the answers."

The long ball was a theme in this game. The Aggies (2-3) had 13 of their own as the teams combined to hit 29 from the arc.

All five Texas starters scored in double figures. Connor Atchley had 15 points, Damion Jones 12 and Justin Mason 11.

Jonathan Gibson scored 20 points and Justin Hawkins had 19 for New Mexico State.