• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Carter, Texas A&M cruise past Texas

Jan 31, 2008 - 7:08 AM COLLEGE STATION, Texas (Ticker) -- Josh Carter and Texas A&M had a surprisingly easy time with Texas on Wednesday.

Carter had 19 points and 10 rebounds as No. 24 Texas A&M cruised to a decisive 80-63 victory over 10th-ranked Texas in Big 12 Conference action.

Dominique Kirk and Joseph Jones each scored 14 points for the Aggies, who won their second straight contest after a three-game losing streak.

"I thought we were really good beginning to end," Aggies coach Mark Turgeon said. "The defense was fantastic. They missed some shots, but I thought we had something to do with that. I couldn't be more proud of our team."

Three of the previous four games between the two teams had been decided by four points or less, but Texas A&M blitzed its in-state rival early and the game was never in doubt.

The Aggies (17-4, 3-3 Big 12) dominated the game from the start, jumping out to a 16-2 lead just 5:18 into the contest and Carter's 3-pointer gave Texas A&M its largest lead at 29-7 midway through the first half.

"At no point did I think we guarded them," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "We didn't deserve to win. They deserve all the credit. They came out tonight and had their way."

The Longhorns used an 11-0 run to close within 31-21 but the Aggies built the lead back up to 46-28 at the break after a three-point play by freshman DeAndre Jordan with 30 seconds to play before the half.

Texas (16-4, 3-2) could never get closer than 11 during the entire second half as the Texas A&M continued its hot shooting.

Connor Atchley made a 3-pointer to close within 62-51 but Carter drilled his fourth shot from the arc to push the advantage back to 14 with 7:31 left.

"It felt good to knock down some shots," Carter said. "Nothing has been wrong mechanically lately, the shots just weren't falling. It feels good to play well."

Atchley again made a 3-pointer to cut the deficit back to 11, but Texas A&M responded with an 11-2 burst to take a 76-56 bulge with 2:12 remaining.

Texas' leading scorer, D.J. Augustin, had 14 points but shot 6-of-19 from the floor. Dexter Pittman also had 14 points with seven rebounds for the Longhorns, who had their three-game winning streak snapped.

"It was tough for anybody to get open," Augustin said. "It wasn't fun for us. They played good defense as a team."

The Aggies have now beaten the Longhorns four straight times at home, with three of those instances coming when Texas has been ranked in the top 10.