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Bob Knight addresses Texas Tech fans Wednesday after Tech's 68-53 victory over Texas A&M. It was win No. 900 for Knight.

Knighted

Texas A&M goes ice cold, Knight wins No. 900

By: Jack Molitor

Posted: 1/17/08

No. 10 Texas A&M was blown out in its second defeat of the season to 10-6 Texas Tech by a 68-53 score. But that was not the story at United Spirit Arena Wednesday night. It was on the Raider bench, where Head Coach Bob Knight added another win to his NCAA-record total. This time it was No. 900.

Knight collected the milestone victory in front of a raucous sold-out arena. The Raiders, who failed to get the win on the road Saturday at Oklahoma State, were not to be denied at home against the favored Aggies. Tech fans chanted his name as he addressed them after the game.

"You folks being here, seats being full for a change, really made a difference tonight," Knight said.

The Aggies took an early lead and were ahead 14-12 halfway throught the first half, but Tech forward Trevor Cook nailed a 3-pointer with 8:11 remaining to put the Raiders up. They would not trail the rest of the game, as A&M went ice cold from the floor and was held to 17 first half points.

Senior guard Martin Zeno, who had been criticized by Knight earlier in the season for his lack of leadership, provided the spark for the Tech offense, scoring 19 and reaching the foul line 13 times.

"Give them a lot of credit," said A&M Head Coach Mark Turgeon. "They played really well, they hit tough shots. Zeno played great. They made their free throws."

There were few bright spots for A&M. The Aggies shot 34 percent from the floor and had their lowest point total of 2007-2008. A&M went on a 14-4 run to begin the second half, cutting the lead to 36-31. However, Tech answered with another 3-pointer, this time by Alan Voskuil, to bump the lead back to nine. A&M did not get closer, falling behind by as many as 24.

"We were really bad," Turgeon said. "I'm not sure I can look at a player that played well. We had unforced turnovers, missed layups and our mindset obviously wasn't right going into this game."

From early foul trouble to poor free throw shooting to a season-high 20 turnovers, the Aggies were unable to mount a consistent offensive attack. A&M outrebounded Tech, 36-25, but committed 24 fouls to Tech's 18. Forwards Joseph Jones and Josh Carter lead A&M with 11 points each.

"They just outplayed us," Jones said. "They hit their shots, got to the foul line a lot, and we didn't. You have to come ready to play each and every game, and we weren't ready. They've got our number."