Pirate Galaxy » We turned it into the administration and it was hand

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Tyler Davis tallied game highs with 16 points and 10 rebounds and fellow big man Tonny Trocha-Morelos added 11 points as Texas A&M overpowered Northwestern State for a 72-44 victory on Friday night to open the season.We knew we had the size advantage, so we just played to our strengths in this game, Davis said. We just tried to execute and run our offense, and see what we can get.The Aggies dominated inside, outscoring the Demons 42-8 in the paint.Thats where we want the ball, A&M coach Billy Kennedy said of A&Ms guards following his game plan.The games outcome was never in doubt, as A&M quickly built on a 12-point halftime lead, and had more than doubled up the Demons at 57-28 about halfway through the second half. A&M shot 46 percent (28 of 61) from the field, while holding NSU to 28 percent (12 of 43).They have size and strength, Demons coach Mike McConathy said of the Aggies. In the second half, they were just too much.The Demons were led by Zeek Woodleys 10 points, and Ishmael Lane added eight points. The Aggies led 33-21 at the break, thanks largely to shutting down the Demons 18-0 in the paint over the first 20 minutes.The Aggies replaced four senior starters from last years Sweet 16 team, but didnt miss a beat in the opener.People talk about the seniors who left, but we know that were capable of doing the same thing, (maybe) better, Trocha-Morelos said. We just have to show people were here to play basketball.BIG PICTURENorthwestern State: The Demons figure even with a tough early schedule -facing SEC and Big 12 foes for starters -- their stiff competition helps prepare them for Southland Conference play. And that theres plenty to learn from even in a 28-point loss.Texas A&M: The Aggies did exactly what coach Billy Kennedy promised in the offseason, mostly running the offense through their talented big men, often resisting the urge to just get out and run against an overmatched opponent.STAT OF THE NIGHTThe Aggies didnt even allow the Demons a point in the paint in the first half, and wound up with a 42-8 advantage. The Demons could do nothing with bullish center Davis, a member of the SEC coaches preseason first team.TURNING POINTThe Aggies led only 25-19 with 2:50 left in the first half when sharpshooter D.J. Hogg coolly drained a 3-pointer, deflating the Demons hopes of keeping the game tight at the break.CROWD PLEASERA crowd pleaser occurred with about 12 minutes remaining in the game, when A&M guard Admon Gilder tossed an alley oop to dynamic freshman forward Robert Williams, who snagged the pass a foot above the rim and slammed it home for a 55-28 A&M lead.I wish I could jump like him, Kennedy said.ROLE PLAYERWilliams came off the bench in his first college game and made 3-of-5 from the field for six points, He also snagged seven rebounds, tying for second with Tavario Miller behind Tyler Daviss game-high 10. His five blocks were four more than anyone else in the game.UP NEXTNorthwestern State will try and get its first victory of the season on Sunday afternoon at Oklahoma.Texas A&M will try and stay unbeaten against American on Monday night in Reed Arena. Cheap Jerseys From China . 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The University of Minnesota football team has decided to drop its boycott of the Holiday Bowl, having threatened to sit out due to the suspension of 10 players following a sexual assault investigation. The logistical and optical nightmare of holding a bowl game without the cooperation of one team will be avoided, but as espnWs Jane McManus writes, football is the least important part of this case.What makes the situation in Minnesota unique is that for once, a universitys administration agrees. Perhaps Baylor is a reason why.Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle suspended the players on the recommendation of the Office of Educational Opportunity and Affirmative Action. While prosecutors decided not to pursue charges, the university is required under federal law to conduct a Title IX investigation. In its 80-page report, the EOAA found four students in violation of the university policys sexual assault provision and eight players in violation of its sexual harassment provision. It recommended five players be expelled, four players be suspended for a year, and one be placed on probation.The rest of the team launched the boycott Thursday night to take back the reputation and integrity of our program and our brothers that have faced unjust Title IX investigation without due process, according to a statement wide receiver Drew Wolitarsky read. The players, according to ESPNs Adam Rittenberg, specifically took issue with the suspensions being handed down before their Title IX appeal hearings, which would not have been scheduled until January, after the bowl.The question of due process is an important one, especially in the NCAA, which affords little power to players to fight for their rights in a meaningful way. (Of course, concerns over players rights were hardly found when a group of black Missouri players threatened to protest the schools handling of racial intimidation on campus.)Yet its perfectly within due process of university discipline, which exists separate from the legal system, to suspend players after an investigation has been conducted pending an appeal. Looking through the rest of Wolitarskys statement, its clear many players are conflating constitutional rights with rights under the student code, which carries a much lower burden of proof for punishment. So too, it seems, is head coach Tracy Claeys, who tweeted?in support of the boycott Thursday night, breaking with the administration. But the university has remained consistent; Claeys himself suspended four players pending the criminal investigation, and now the administration has suspended them and six others following the Title IX investigation.Due process is also important as we look toward navigating a future in a post-Baylor world. Last years bombshell report exposing the rampant sexual assault and coverup in Baylor University athletics seemed to show those who were otherwise not paying attention just how widespread these crimes are in college football, and how thick the cloak of silence around them can be. Baylor served as a telescope for how things have always been done when players are accused of sexual violence, often marked by systemic protectionism by school administrators.ddddddddddddWhats remarkable about the action at Minnesota is that it came from the top, with the administration getting out in front with sanctions immediately following the investigation, rather than reacting to fan and media outrage over inaction. It was swift and impactful without being heavy handed (though probably not to those who are used to seeing such accusations go unanswered).I cant find fault with what the administration has done. Which is ... weird, said Jessica Luther, a freelance journalist who broke the Baylor story last year and whose book Unsportsmanlike Conduct exhaustively covers sexual assault in college football.Baylor could be seen as a turning point relative to how schools, including Minnesota, failed to handle such cases in the past.In October 2015, the Star Tribune obtained an email from the schools EOAA director to then-athletic director Norwood Teague that cited multiple complaints of sexual assault and sexual harassment by players as well as concerns of retaliation by a group of football players during the 2014-15 academic year.Then-head coach Jerry Kill said he had been aware of at least one accusation. We turned it into the administration and it was handled by the administration, he said at the time. According to the email, some complaints were not investigated due to a lack of cooperation by the accusers.Teague himself had been forced to resign last August after admitting to sexually harassing female university employees. In that same month, the school adopted a new Yes means Yes policy, establishing affirmative consent as the standard in sexual assault cases.Now, in the shadow of Baylor and its own failure to pursue past accusations, Minnesota seems to be taking a hard line against campus violence. Following Teagues departure, Coyle was appointed athletic director in May. This is the first major sexual assault crisis hes had to deal with, and he seems to be making a clear statement that the new department wont be run like the old one. (It makes sense that it might not sit well with Claeys, who served as defensive coordinator under Kill before he became head coach.)If the fallout from Baylor has finally signaled to schools the need to properly and transparently carry out sexual assault investigations, then Minnesota shows why we must keep educating players, administrators, coaches and fans on due process and what justice might look like in a post-Baylor world. The Gophers case is unique because its so unprecedented. Were truly not used to seeing an administration take such a proactive stance. Is this what it looks like when the system works? The way future cases are handled will bear that out, but its certainly more functional in Minnesota compared to one year ago.Put that in context of Baylor, Luther said. We have to see this as an improvement, if nothing else. ' ' '