Aggies Defeat North Dakota, 76-62

Junior Elonu had 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 1 block, while Josh Carter scored 18 to lead four Aggies in double figures (Donald Sloan had 14 and B.J. Holmes had 14) as A&M defeated the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux, 76-62.

It was somewhat difficult getting a read on this game, as A&M led throughout. We seemed to coast on our lead through most of the game. We're still not where we need to be defensively, and we are still sloppy at times on offense.

The good news is that Dash Harris continues to improve at the 1, contributing 6 points, 4 assists (2 turnovers),  3 rebounds, and 3 steals in  20 minutes of playing time. Harris had a nice drive through traffic and layup that showed a flash of what he is capable of becoming. Such flashes of brilliance were missing from his game earlier in the season, and that is what I've been waiting to see from him.

Fellow freshman David Loubeau had 4 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 block in only 11 minutes of playing time. The future looks bright for both of these players, which is more than I could say a few weeks ago.

Coach Turgeon recognizes the need for this team to stop playing down to the level of the opponent and to develop a killer instinct:

 We've been talking about that for about six weeks, (developing) a killer instinct and then being consistent among each other. The inconsistency has got to improve. Big 12 starting I think is going to help and we'll concentrate a little better.

I'm hoping we really step it up in conference play, because the lacksadaisical attitude we play with right now won't cut it come conference time. Our first game in conference play is at Stillwater on January 10, and we'll really get a chance to see what this team is made of. Gallagher-Iba Arena is a tough place to play, so we'll see where this team really stands.

We're currently 14-1, the second straight year we've started with that record. We ended conference season 8-8, to finish the regular season 22-9 before Big 12 tourney play began. I'm hoping we can improve on that mark last year, but not optimistic.