Aggies drop second straight in lopsided loss to Kentucky, 100-58

Plagued by turnovers and poor shooting, Texas A&M fell into a deep hole early and was subsequently buried by sixth-ranked Kentucky, 100-58, in a Southeastern Conference basketball blowout at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. on Tuesday night.

The 42-point loss was A&M’s worst in SEC play.

Admon Gilder and Tyler Davis each scored 13 points to lead the Aggies (8-5, 0-2), who committed 25 turnovers.

Kentucky (12-2, 2-0) was led by freshman guard Malik Monk with 26 points, De’Aaron Fox with 15 and Isaiah Briscoe with 13.

The last three games between Aggies and Wildcats went to overtime. But this one was over in no time as Kentucky took advantage of seven early turnovers to build a 20-6 lead. The Wildcats never looked back.

Ten minutes into the game, A&M had more turnovers (10) than points (8).

Kentucky exploited A&M’s lack of a true point guard more than any other opponent as the Aggies suffered their second consecutive lopsided loss in SEC play.

They opened league play with a 73-63 loss to Tennessee in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.

In hopes of boosting the offense, A&M coach Billy Kennedy juggled the lineup and started sophomore guard Chris Collins and senior forward Tavario Miller. The move did not have desired effect.

Gilder opened the scoring with a three-pointer, but the Aggies committed turnovers on their next six possessions.

Meanwhile, Kentucky hit six of its first seven shots, including two three-pointers by Monk in a 15-0 run that also featured several breakaway dunks.

Complicating matters, the Aggies suffered through a nearly five-minute scoreless stretch that enabled Kentucky to open a 28-8 lead.

The margin swelled to 23 points – 50-27 – as Monk converted two free throws three seconds before halftime.

Kentucky never slowed down and extended the lead to as much as 47 points in the second half.

A&M will hope to bounce back when the Aggies travel to face South Carolina on Saturday.