11/10/02

Texas defeats EA Sports 102-88 in final exhibition

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» Post-game quotes

	Brian Boddicker

AUSTIN, Texas -- Junior center James Thomas (Schenectady, N.Y.) posted 13 points and a game-high 17 rebounds to lead Texas to a 102-88 victory against the EA Sports Southwest All-Stars in an exhibition game on Sunday afternoon before 3,611 fans at the Frank Erwin Center. UT improved to a perfect 10-0 in exhibition contests under head coach Rick Barnes.

Thomas paced a total of seven Longhorns in double figures in scoring. Junior forward Brian Boddicker (Duncanville, Texas) recorded a team-high 18 points (4-of-7 threes) and eight boards off the bench, while junior guard Brandon Mouton (Lafayette, La.) added 15 points, all coming in the second half.

Sophomore guard T.J. Ford (Houston, Texas) registered 14 points, 11 rebounds (against just two turnovers) and seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Sydmill Harris (Hoofddorp, The Netherlands) posted 11 points (3-of-5 threes), while junior guard Royal Ivey (Queens, N.Y.) and freshman forward Brad Buckman (Austin, Texas) each had 10 points and six rebounds.

Texas overcame a poor shooting performance which saw the Longhorns hit just 40.7% of their field goals (35-of-86) and 54.8% of their free throws (23-of-42). The difference in the game came on the glass, where the Longhorns recorded a 63-36 advantage on the boards, including a 34-11 margin on the offensive glass. In its two exhibition games, Texas outrebounded its opponents by a combined margin of 113-70.

"I missed a lot of shots during the game," said Thomas. "We all missed a lot of shots. I think it was because we were rushing (on offense) too much tonight. Rebounding made up for a lot of our poor shooting. It was one of the best rebounding nights that we have had."

Texas grabbed a 9-8 advantage at the 16:09 mark on a Boddicker three-pointer and did not lose the lead for the remainder of the game. Hot shooting from beyond the three-point arc helped EA Sports force a 48-48 tie at the half, as the All-Stars converted 8-of-15 threes in the first 20 minutes. With Texas leading 61-57 and just over 12 minutes remaining, Boddicker converted his fourth and final three-pointer of the night that started a 9-3 run by the Longhorns and sealed the win. UT eventually increased the lead to as much as 15 points (92-77) late in the contest.

EA Sports guard Joe Smith led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-6 from behind the three-point line. Former Kansas forward Nick Bradford added 16 points (11-of-13 FT) and six rebounds.

Texas tips off the 2002-03 regular season with a matchup against Georgia at the AT&T Wireless Classic on Friday, Nov. 15 (8 p.m. Central, ESPN2) at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

POSTGAME QUOTES

	Brad Buckman

TEXAS HEAD COACH RICK BARNES
ON THE GAME…
“I thought this game was hard in that EA Sports didn’t play defense well. We had a lot of opportunities to make more shots and we need to take advantage of that. Our free throw shooting needs more work and they got us in a hole. I think we let that affect us going into the second half and we need to put that behind us.”

ON BRIAN BODDICKER…
“I thought Brian came off the bench tonight and did a great job. He responded very well tonight and was effective in what he did. I really thought he did a good job rebounding and he has improved in that area since the last game.”TEXAS FORWARD

JAMES THOMAS
ON HIS SHOTS
“I missed a lot of shots during the game. We all missed a lot of shots and I think it was because we were rushing too much tonight. For the most part, we played alright tonight.”

ON THE TEAM’S REBOUNDING
“Rebounding made up a lot for our poor shooting. We outrebounded them by 27 and it was one of the best rebounding nights that we have had.”

	T.J. Ford

TEXAS FORWARD BRIAN BODDICKER
ON COMING OFF THE BENCH…
“I don’t like it very much, but I seem to play better coming off the bench so I’m beginning to accept it. With the depth we have it doesn’t matter who starts as long as we produce in the game.”

ON THE CONCLUSION OF EXHIBITION PLAY…
“It was good to have these exhibition games to see faces other than our own. We’re going to break down film, practice hard and get ready for Georgia.”EA SPORTS HEAD

COACH PETE CASSIDY
ON THE GAME…
“I was pleased with our effort here today. I think we played hard enough to give Texas a challenging battle. Hopefully we brought something that will help Texas to develop what they already have. I like their rebounding; they are very aggressive. They’re not ranked fifth in the nation for nothing.”

EA SPORTS FORWARD NICK BRADFORD
ON TEXAS…
“Texas is a great club on the boards and great defensively. Their defense is what makes them tough. T.J. Ford is a good player. He can get his teammates the ball.”