Nov. 20, 2006

Final Stats

Vann Pettaway's 400th career victory turned out to be a nail-biter Monday with his Bulldogs holding off a furious Stillman rally 65-64 at Elmore Gymnasium. The Bulldogs led by as many as 16 in the second half and 15 at the intermission. The Tigers chipped away and had the ball with a chance to take the lead with 12 seconds remaining, but the A&M defense forced the 24th turnover of the night and secured the milestone victory.

The Bulldogs built their big lead on the hot shooting of freshmen Cornelius Hester and LaNorris Smith. Hester outscored Stillman 12-2 with four three-pointers to close the final four minutes of the first half. A&M led 37-22 at the break. Smith's hot shooting early helped the Bulldogs built as much as a nine-point lead in the first 15 minutes of the game. For the game, Smith finished with 17 points and Hester 16. Mickell Gladness pulled down nine rebounds and blockes five shots. Trant Simpson offset seven turnovers with nine assists for A&M.

Stillman was led by 26 points, 11 rebounds, and five steals from Monyea Pratt.