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Carter key as Ags defeat Nebraska

By RICHARD CROOME
Eagle Sports Writer

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Buy this photo AP Photo Texas A&M's Josh Carter tied a school record by hitting eight 3-pointers Saturday against Nebraska.

LINCOLN, Neb. - One of these games, Josh Carter may just get that record-setting ninth 3-pointer.

For now though, eight is enough for the Texas A&M sophomore, who led the Aggies with a career-high 26 points to give No. 6 A&M a 66-55 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers at the Devaney Center on Saturday.

First-place A&M moved to 21-3 overall and 9-1 in the Big 12, while Nebraska dropped to 14-9 and 3-6 after having won two straight on the road.

"We we're just talking about how I can't get over the hump and break the record, but I mean I've got a lot of playing left, so maybe I'll get it one time," the 6-foot-7 Carter said.

It appeared as if the Cornhuskers had picked their poison of which facet of the Aggie game to shut down by packing it inside with a 1-3-1 zone and forcing A&M to hit the long-range jumpers.

Carter and Nebraska coach Doc Sadler quickly put that idea to rest after the game.

"I don't think they were trying to [leave us open] they just kept getting mental mistakes," Carter said. "I would hear their coach telling them where I was going, but I guess they just lapsed and I was just catching and shooting."

Carter caught and then made 5 of 7 from behind the arc in first half and then 3 of 4 early in the second half before the Cornhuskers shadowed him for the rest of the game.

The Husker faithful cheered loudly when Carter was knocked on his back for a foul midway through the second half. They were happy just to see him not get off a 3-pointer.

"I mean how in the heck do you let Josh Carter get eight 3s? That's ridiculous," Nebraska first-year coach Doc Sadler said. "They threw it into the post, we dropped on the wings and we're not supposed to do that. You're supposed to stay with him. [It was just] drop, kick, shoot."

The A&M record for 3-pointers was set by Jerald Brown in 1997 and tied by Bernard King in 2000. Carter has matched it three times this season. He made his eighth 3 with 12 minutes, 50 seconds remaining in the game.

"It wasn't a matter of Josh feeling it. If we get Josh open shots, he makes them," said A&M coach Billy Gillispie "He is a fantastic shooter much like [Nebraska's Marcus] Perry and if those guys get looks they are going to make them."

Carter also had a game-high three blocks and five rebounds.

A&M was in control for most of the game, falling behind only once at 24-23.

The Aggies took control from that point on, outscoring Nebraska 12-0 over the next 7 1/2 minutes.

Carter was a big part of that run, making two of his 3s during that span.

The first half proved to be a game of horse between Carter and Ryan Anderson.

Carter was 5 of 7, with most of them coming from the side. Anderson was lighting it up from two or three feet behind the arc at the top. He missed his last two, but still went 4 of 7.

At the break, Anderson had outscored Carter 18-17, but the Aggies led 32-24.

The only other player on either team to make more than one field goal in the opening 20 minues was A&M's Joseph Jones, who was 3 of 6 for six points.

"It was my fault because we went to trap [Aleks] Maric and we left [Anderson] open and weren't able to recover back to him," Gillisipie said of Anderson's big first half. "It wasn't Marlon Pompey, Antanas Kavaliauskas or Joe's Jones fault. I made the decision to trap [No.] 21.

"We didn't trap in the second half."

Anderson was held scoreless in the second half, but the 6-foot-11 Maric, Nebraska's leading scorer, was 7 of 10 in the final 20 minutes with three dunks. He finished with 15 points.

Jones had 11 points and Dominique Kirk had 10 for the Aggies.

Acie Law IV was eight points shy of his average of 17, but had a team-high five assists. He only shot twice in the first half, missing both.

The Cornhuskers' Marcus Perry was the only other player in double figures with 11, nine of which came on 3-pointers.

A&M dominated inside outrebounding NU 40-29. The Ags also had seven blocks to none for the Huskers.

The Aggies were only called for 12 fouls and the Cornhuskers didn't get into the bonus until late in the second half as they settled mostly for outside shots. NU shot three free throws, making two.

NOTES - Nebraska had a moment of silence for longtime Aggie basketball coach Shelby Metcalf, who died on Thursday at age 76. "I thought it was one of the most classy things I've ever seen for Nebraska to take a moment of silence for him," Gillispie said. ... A&M has won 16 of its last 17 Big 12 games. ... Acie Law didn't make his first field goal until the 14:46 mark of the second half. ... Antanas Kavaliauskas tied his career high in rebounds for a second straight game with 11.