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Texas beats A&M men in double overtime
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A&M Basketball: Surging programs make Reed Arena the place to be in B-CS

By RICHARD CROOME
Eagle Sports Writer

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Buy this photo AP Photo Texas A&M's Bryan Davis (left) and Texas forward Damion James tangle as then try to grab a rebound Wednesday at the Erwin Center in Austin.

At the end of the second overtime, Texas A&M's Acie Law IV finally had to miss a shot for the Aggies to have a chance to win.

Law hit two 3-pointers to extend the game, the first at the end of regulation and a second near the end of the first overtime period. But with 1 second left in the second overtime period, Law purposely fired his free-throw attempt hard against the backboard to give teammates Bryan Davis and Chinemelu Elonu an opportunity to tip it in and send the game to a third overtime.

With at least seven bodies jammed in the lane, Elonu grabbed the ball and tossed it toward the basket as quickly as he could. It never had a chance, though, and the Texas Longhorns (22-7, 11-3 Big 12) extended their chances at gaining a share of the Big 12 Conference title along with A&M and Kansas with a 98-96 double-overtime victory.

A&M (24-5, 12-3) needs Texas to beat Kansas on Saturday to earn the school's first Big 12 crown in men's basketball. Kansas can win the title outright by beating Texas in Lawrence, Kan., while a Texas victory would force a three-way tie for the championship between the Aggies, Longhorns and third-ranked Jayhwaks.

"Now we have to root for our rival," Law said. "But we've got to get ready for Missouri on Senior Day because they are going to come hard at us."

A&M will wrap up its regular season at 3 p.m. Saturday against Missouri at Reed Arena.

Texas' freshman phenom Kevin Durant made 5 of 6 free throws in the second overtime period, and A.J. Abrams opened the frame with a 3-pointer and a runner in the lane.

Law countered with two free throws, and Antanas Kavaliauskas hit a 3-pointer early then added a layup with 5 seconds left to keep the Aggies within range.

Durant hit two free throws to push Texas' lead to 98-95. The Longhorns fouled Law with 1 second left, forcing Law to make one and miss the second to give the Aggies a shot at forcing a third overtime period.

In the first overtime period, Law hit a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left to tie the score at 88. Abrams missed a runner with about 6 seconds left, and Donald Sloan grabbed the rebound on the wing. After a few dribbles, he took a half-court shot for the victory, but the ball bounced off the backboard.

The drama of that final sequence paled in comparison to the final seconds of regulation when Law squared the game at 78 with 1 second left.

Durant made a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left to put the Longhorns up 76-72. A&M's Dominique Kirk countered with 3 to keep the Aggies alive.

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Buy this photo AP Photo Texas' Dexter Pittman blocks Texas A&M's Marlon Pompey in the Longhorns' 98-96 win on Wednesday.

Texas' D.J. Augustin hit two free throws with 9 seconds left to give Texas a 78-75 lead.

After four timeouts, a Texas foul and another timeout, Law lofted a 3-pointer from deep behind the line over the outstretched arm of Durant that swished the net with a second remaining.

Law, who ran from one end of the court to the other last season when he beat Texas with a late 3-pointer at Reed Arena, stood near the corner of the Erwin Center floor, stared into the stands and pounded his heart.

"We wanted to foul him at the end of regulation, but we didn't," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "Why we didn't, I can't tell you, because we talked about it."

Law played the entire 50 minutes and finished with a season-high 33 points, including 10 in the overtime periods.

Durant had 30 points, including 10 from the free-throw line, and a game-high 16 rebounds.

The two spoke well of each other after the game, both shrugging off Big 12 Player of the Year talk. Law said he'd vote for Durant because of his numbers and the fact that the Longhorn is a freshman. Neither seemed to object if they shared the honor.

After struggling early, Texas made 11 free throws in a row in the final minutes of regulation and the beginning of the first overtime. Durant made would would've been a 12th straight free throw, but it was taken off the scoreboard when Damion James was called for a lane violation. It kept the Aggies within five points and proved to be crucial along with Justin Mason's miss from the line later during A&M's comeback in the first overtime period.

But for the game, Texas made 29 of 41 free throws compared to A&M's 15 of 23.

"They beat us at the line," A&M head coach Billy Gillispie said. "They made 14 more free throws, and we had 11 more fouls."

It was Texas' second multiple-overtime game in Big 12 play this season. The Longhorns lost 105-103 to OSU in three overtimes in Stillwater, Okla.