Aggie men beat Prairie View 81-46 in season opener

By ROBERT CESSNA
Eagle Staff Writer

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Buy this photo Eagle Photo/Butch Ireland Texas A&M's Chinemelu Elonu dunks the ball as Prairie View's Clifford Franks looks on in the first -half of the season opener Friday night at Reed Arena.

A.C. Law IV and Joseph Jones returned to the starting lineup, but freshman Chinemelu Elonu grabbed the spotlight as the 13th-ranked Texas A&M men's basketball team opened the season with an 81-46 victory over Prairie View A&M at Reed Arena on Friday night.

Law injured his tailbone 5 minutes into A&M's first exhibition game, while Jones sat out both preseason games to save the wear and tear on his knees, which have tendonitis.

The crowd of 10,722 - a record for an A&M home opener - roared its approval when the pair were introduced. Law and Jones helped A&M bolt to a 24-3 lead in less than 8 minutes. Prairie View had major problems against A&M's pressure, turning the ball over nine times during the run. Twice the Panthers forced up wild shots that missed the rim.

Prairie View missed 16 of 22 field goals in the first half.

A&M's best defensive play was turned in by the 6-foot-10 Elonu with 2:44 left in the first half with A&M ahead 44-18.

A&M's Logan Lee lost the ball to Prairie View's Jared Ellison, who appeared to have a clear path to an easy layup.

But the hustling Elonu caught him and went high over the rim to reject the shot.

The crowd, which included former President Bush and defense secretary nominee Bob Gates, roared its approval.

"Not too many people can do it," A&M head coach Billy Gillispie said. "It was a great effort, he never gave up on the play. [Those] are game-changers."

Elonu was one of four freshmen who combined for 48 minutes and 29 points. Guard Derrick Roland had two points in 10 minutes; guard Donald Sloan had eight points in 19 minutes; and forward Bryan Davis had seven points and three rebounds in 8 minutes. Elonu, a redshirt freshman, led the way with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting with four rebounds in 11 minutes.

The Prairie View A&M coaching staff, huddling outside their locker room afterward, were impressed.

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Buy this photo Eagle Photo/Butch Ireland Former President Bush and Texas A&M University President Robert Gates attend Friday's A&M basketball games.

"I'm telling you No. 41 [Elonu] is a freshman," one assistant said. "So are three of those other guys."

Said head coach Byron Rimm II: "They can play."

Gillispie said his youngsters played well, better than the veterans, but they have to learn not to take plays off.

"The way to go about playing and winning, you can't be concerned about who your particular opponent is on a particular night," Gillispie said. "You have to play the game the way it's supposed to be played."

Gillispie said Law and Jones probably were disappointed in their performances.

Law hit 2 of 10 field goals with three turnovers in 20 minutes. Jones scored 16 points, which tied him for game-high honors with teammate Antanas Kavalisuskas, but he had only one defensive rebound in 25 minutes.

Gillispie said they can't be the team they want to be with Jones doing that.

Returning perimeter players Dominique Kirk (1-of-7 shooting) and Josh Carter (3-of-7 shooting) had so-so offensive efforts. Kirk played 39 minutes, but had five turnovers. Carter did have a game-high seven assists.

A&M had only nine players score.

"We had some really, really good possesions, especially early," Gillispie said. "We didn't complete the half or the game we need to."

Junior guard Andy Genao led Prairie View with 13 points.

Returning forward/post Marlon Pompey, who missed the game, will be out 4-6 weeks with a stress fracture in his right foot. ... A&M's previous record crowd for a home opener was 6,929. Gillispie said A&M's exhibition crowds have been even better than when he was at Illinois when it was No. 1. ... A&M has won 23 straight nonconference home games.