Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Texas A&M
Cowboys Take Down Texas A&M, 66-51
March 02, 2002 | Cowboy Basketball
March 2, 2002
By OWEN CANFIELD
AP Sports Writer
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) - During a timeout with 7:04 remaining and his team leading Texas A&M by only a point, Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton laid things out for his players.
"I told them they better look in their heart and belly and start playing, or it's going to be one of the most embarrassing losses in the history of Oklahoma State basketball," Sutton said. "And they responded."
The 12th-ranked Cowboys outscored Texas A&M 16-1 the rest of the way to win 66-51 Saturday night. After leading by 16 in the first half and by 10 in the second, they struggled to hand the Aggies their ninth straight loss.
"I don't believe I've ever had a ballclub where we can play so well, and then all of a sudden just within the game itself go down inside death valley and play about as poorly as we can possibly play," Sutton said.
Melvin Sanders tied his career high with 18 points, and Victor Williams scored 17 for Oklahoma State (23-7, 10-6 Big 12).
Jesse King had a career-high 17 for Texas A&M (9-21, 3-13). Bernard King, defended by Sanders most of the night, had 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting.
Two free throws by Williams gave Oklahoma State a 41-31 lead with 13:02 remaining. But Jesse King made two 3-pointers and had a three-point play, and Bernard King hit a 3 that tied it at 43 with 10:57 to play.
Another 3-pointer by Jesse King gave the Aggies their only lead, 48-47, with 8:14 left, and a driving shot by Bernard King tied it at 50 with 7:22 to play. But that proved to be A&M's final field goal.
Sanders helped fuel the Cowboys' late run by scoring a layup off a turnover and hitting a 3-pointer. Williams added five points, all from the free-throw line.
Meanwhile, the Aggies missed their final eight shots - including three straight from in close on one possession when the score was 55-51 - and they turned the ball over four times.
"I thought our kids played hard, but they cannot make the mental mistakes they did down the stretch," coach Melvin Watkins said. "At the end of the game, with the possessions we had, we just didn't make the plays."
The Cowboys got points from six players in an 18-3 run that gave them a 23-7 lead midway through the first half. Texas A&M committed seven turnovers during that stretch, including six in a row, and managed only a 3-pointer by Bernard King.
But Oklahoma State went cold after that, making one field goal in the final 9:20 as the Aggies rallied. While the Cowboys got away from the inside game that helped them build the lead, A&M succeeded in the paint and got to 27-24 at halftime.
Williams said he and the other Cowboys are as perplexed as Sutton about why they have played so inconsistently.
"A lot of times when we go on our runs, we're really moving the ball, we're catching and really hitting the gaps, penetrating and kicking to open shooters," he said. "A lot of times when we go in our droughts, we kind of stand and are watching and waiting for something to happen. That's something we've got to get corrected."
