Photo by Matt Sachs, TexAgs
Texas A&M Basketball
Aggies spread the wealth in 100-58 beatdown of Southeastern Louisiana
Sometimes you just need a reminder.
Much attention has been given to Texas A&M’s new basketball additions, which have provided much-needed inside presence, ball-handling and even more perimeter shooting.
In fact, newcomers Anthony Collins, Tyler Davis, Admon Gilder, D.J. Hogg and Elijah Thomas have made such an impression that some of the Aggies' holdovers almost seem forgotten.
But seniors Alex Caruso and Danuel House offered not-so-subtle reminders of what they can contribute in a 100-58 college basketball blowout of Southeastern Louisiana on Monday night.
House drilled a half dozen three-pointers on the way to a 20-point performance to lead five players in double-figures.
Meanwhile, Caruso turned in perhaps the play of the night when he anticipated a pass, swooped in for the steal and raced down court for a spectacular slam dunk that drew a roar from the 4,903 fans at Reed Arena.
“It got us real pumped up,” Davis said of Caruso’s jam. “I’m always cheering my teammates on. I love playing off my teammates' energy when they make a big shot like that.”
The next major reactions from the crowd came in the final seconds when Kyle Dobbins hit a free throw and Gilder followed with a layup that brought the Aggies’ score to triple digits.
“I thought we established inside presence early and it opened up a lot of opportunities on the perimeter,” A&M coach Billy Kennedy said. “Danuel made some deep threes. We had balanced scoring again. We’ve got a lot of good players who can score. It’s tough to guard when you have that much balance.”
Yet, most of the ovations were directed at the newcomers.
Davis recorded his first double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Gilder contributed 14 points and Hogg had 11.
Also, sophomore Tonny Trocha-Morelos scored 12 points and had five assists — three coming on high-low passes to Davis.
“Tonny is a really good passer,” Kennedy said. “They’re both unselfish and they look for each other well. For not having played together much, they seem to be developing good chemistry.”
Collins, who did not score in a season-opening 104-64 victory over South Carolina Upstate, scored eight points and hit two of the Aggies’ 14 three-point goals.
Southeastern Louisiana (0-2), which fell to TCU, 90-77, last Friday, was led by guard Marlain Veal with 19 points. A&M outscored the youthful Lions 36-18 in the paint and held a whopping 49-26 advantage in rebounding.
“Particularly in first half, they shot the basketball extremely well from outside,” Southeastern Louisiana coach Jay Ladner said. “We just didn’t have a lot of answers. I thought we did a good job of interior defense, but House and those guys are outstanding. I was very impressed.
“We certainly don’t see that caliber of talent night-in and night-out. We had a chance against TCU, but we were just overwhelmed tonight.”
The A&M onslaught started when Trocha-Morelos scored a layup for a 12-9 lead four-and-a-half minutes into the game.
Matt Sachs, TexAgs
Danuel House led the onslaught, but eleven Aggies scored — and even in the 42-point victory A&M didn't play its best.
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Collins followed with a three-pointer from the right wing and Davis put back a Trocha-Morelos miss. House and Hogg also hit three-pointers as the Aggies outscored SELA 15-2 in a five-minute span to take a 25-11 lead.
A&M eventually led 50-30 at halftime. The margin reached 44 points, 91-47, on a House three-pointer with just over three minutes to play.
“I wanted it because I thought it would pump the team up just a little bit just like TD brings excitement when he’s rebounding the basketball,” House said of his final three-pointer. “We’re all about having fun. I feel like I’m having fun. I’m enjoying my teammates a little more. It was a bonding experience.”
However, it was far from a perfect night. Kennedy was unhappy that the Aggies committed 20 turnovers and sometimes attempted poor shots rather than look for layups in transition.
“Our guys got a little home run happy,” Kennedy said. “Our upperclassmen need to be more disciplined. It’s one thing for a freshman to make mistakes than for Alex Caruso. We need for Alex Caruso and other seniors to do a better job knowing not to make home run plays. When you have two-on-one you need to get layups and not settle for alley-oops that don’t go in.”
Maybe they just got a little caught up in the moment of another 40-point win.
Or maybe they were just trying to remind everyone what they can do, too.
Much attention has been given to Texas A&M’s new basketball additions, which have provided much-needed inside presence, ball-handling and even more perimeter shooting.
In fact, newcomers Anthony Collins, Tyler Davis, Admon Gilder, D.J. Hogg and Elijah Thomas have made such an impression that some of the Aggies' holdovers almost seem forgotten.
But seniors Alex Caruso and Danuel House offered not-so-subtle reminders of what they can contribute in a 100-58 college basketball blowout of Southeastern Louisiana on Monday night.
House drilled a half dozen three-pointers on the way to a 20-point performance to lead five players in double-figures.
Meanwhile, Caruso turned in perhaps the play of the night when he anticipated a pass, swooped in for the steal and raced down court for a spectacular slam dunk that drew a roar from the 4,903 fans at Reed Arena.
“It got us real pumped up,” Davis said of Caruso’s jam. “I’m always cheering my teammates on. I love playing off my teammates' energy when they make a big shot like that.”
The next major reactions from the crowd came in the final seconds when Kyle Dobbins hit a free throw and Gilder followed with a layup that brought the Aggies’ score to triple digits.
We had balanced scoring again. We’ve got a lot of good players who can score. It’s tough to guard when you have that much balance.
{"Module":"quote","Alignment":"left","Quote":"We had balanced scoring again. We’ve got a lot of good players who can score. It’s tough to guard when you have that much balance.","Author":"Billy Kennedy"}
It was the first time A&M reached 100 points in consecutive games since 1990 (against Arkansas and Rice) under Coach John Thornton.“I thought we established inside presence early and it opened up a lot of opportunities on the perimeter,” A&M coach Billy Kennedy said. “Danuel made some deep threes. We had balanced scoring again. We’ve got a lot of good players who can score. It’s tough to guard when you have that much balance.”
Yet, most of the ovations were directed at the newcomers.
Davis recorded his first double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Gilder contributed 14 points and Hogg had 11.
Also, sophomore Tonny Trocha-Morelos scored 12 points and had five assists — three coming on high-low passes to Davis.
“Tonny is a really good passer,” Kennedy said. “They’re both unselfish and they look for each other well. For not having played together much, they seem to be developing good chemistry.”
Collins, who did not score in a season-opening 104-64 victory over South Carolina Upstate, scored eight points and hit two of the Aggies’ 14 three-point goals.
Southeastern Louisiana (0-2), which fell to TCU, 90-77, last Friday, was led by guard Marlain Veal with 19 points. A&M outscored the youthful Lions 36-18 in the paint and held a whopping 49-26 advantage in rebounding.
“Particularly in first half, they shot the basketball extremely well from outside,” Southeastern Louisiana coach Jay Ladner said. “We just didn’t have a lot of answers. I thought we did a good job of interior defense, but House and those guys are outstanding. I was very impressed.
“We certainly don’t see that caliber of talent night-in and night-out. We had a chance against TCU, but we were just overwhelmed tonight.”
The A&M onslaught started when Trocha-Morelos scored a layup for a 12-9 lead four-and-a-half minutes into the game.
Matt Sachs, TexAgs
Danuel House led the onslaught, but eleven Aggies scored — and even in the 42-point victory A&M didn't play its best.
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"right","Size":"large","Caption":"Danuel House led the onslaught, but eleven Aggies scored — and even in the 42-point victory A\u0026M didn\u0027t play its best.","MediaItemID":62413}
A&M eventually led 50-30 at halftime. The margin reached 44 points, 91-47, on a House three-pointer with just over three minutes to play.
“I wanted it because I thought it would pump the team up just a little bit just like TD brings excitement when he’s rebounding the basketball,” House said of his final three-pointer. “We’re all about having fun. I feel like I’m having fun. I’m enjoying my teammates a little more. It was a bonding experience.”
However, it was far from a perfect night. Kennedy was unhappy that the Aggies committed 20 turnovers and sometimes attempted poor shots rather than look for layups in transition.
“Our guys got a little home run happy,” Kennedy said. “Our upperclassmen need to be more disciplined. It’s one thing for a freshman to make mistakes than for Alex Caruso. We need for Alex Caruso and other seniors to do a better job knowing not to make home run plays. When you have two-on-one you need to get layups and not settle for alley-oops that don’t go in.”
Maybe they just got a little caught up in the moment of another 40-point win.
Or maybe they were just trying to remind everyone what they can do, too.
Photos from Texas A&M 100, Southeastern Louisiana 58
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