Aggies Win Close Game With McNeese State, 57-52

This game was every bit as close as the final score indicated, as A&M was lucky to pull it out at the end. Stellar play from Junior Elonu really helped, as did two crucial free throws in the final seconds of the game to seal the win. Elonu had 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks on the night, while Josh Carter was the only other player in double figures for the Aggies, with 13 points.

The Ags went through a stretch late in the second half where they went over six minutes without scoring; the scoreless drought allowed McNeese to come back from down 14 and tie the game at 52-all with 2:53 left. It wasn't that the Ags weren't taking the ball to the hoop, because they were getting some good shots, the ball just wasn't falling in. Josh Carter broke the drought with a basket at the 2:29 mark to give the Aggies the lead for good.

Key for McNeese State on both offense and defense was Kleon Penn, their 6'11 post, who had 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 blocks. He dominated the paint in the second half, and many shots that he didn't block were adjusted to account for him. He was a monster inside, and he almost single-handedly led State to a win.

Our transition defense still needs work, and our offense is still shaky at times. I think we play down to the level of our opponent, which is not a good characteristic for a team to have. Mark Turgeon seems to agree:

 The bottom line is our guys have to play better. We play well when we have to and I want them to play well all the time. Pretty soon we'll play like that and it's not going to be good enough. McNeese is pretty good. They lost by three at LSU and have some good players. We just didn't do our job.

I know I'm beginning to sound like a broken record when I say this, and I'm still not happy with our quality of play, but I won't complain about a win. It is nice to win nine in a row.