Billy Kennedy
Trocha & Collins
TAMUCC's Wilson
Texas A&M Basketball
Aggies start fast, finish strong in 95-70 win to open 3-0
Nothing lasts forever.
The Aggies were reminded of that on Thursday night at Reed Arena.
Despite 54.4 percent shooting, strong rebounding, sound defense and another fast start, Texas A&M’s impressive streak came to an end.
Oh, the Aggies (3-0) still routed overmatched Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. But for the first time this season they failed to hit triple digits and settled for a “mere” 95-70 college basketball victory before a crowd of 5,392.
The Aggies shot 54.4 percent from the field, hit nine three-pointers, held a 38-26 advantage in rebounds, got 38 points off the bench and even hit 24 of 26 free throws — an area which was problematic for A&M last season.
“Corpus Christi is not a slouch basketball team,” A&M coach Billy Kennedy said. “They’re well coached and they have some older guys on the floor. We beat a much better team than we did the last two games.”
A&M roared out to a 41-14 lead and never let the visiting Islanders (1-1) draw closer than 13 points.
Heralded 6-10 freshman Tyler Davis led the Aggies with 16 points and eight rebounds, but he had plenty of help.
Matt Sachs, TexAgs
The high-flying Aggies were nearly perfect on free throws and had four players, including Tyler Davis, in double figures.
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Sophomore Tonny Trocha-Morelos posted a career-high 15 points on 6 of 7 shooting that included three three-point field goals. Danuel House had 15 points. D.J. Hogg hit 6 of 9 shots en route to 14.
A&M-Corpus Christi was led by 6-7 senior forward Bryce Douvier with 28 points and 6-5 sophomore guard Joe Kilgore, who came off the bench to score 13.
The Islanders’ cause was hindered when 6-8 junior forward Rashawn Thomas picked up four fouls — the last one on a technical — in the first half. Thomas scored 30 points in a 94-72 season-opening win over Our Lady of the Lake.
“We have rarely played well when he picks up two fouls that early in the ball game,” Islanders coach Willis Wilson said. “He’s such an emotional kid … a great kid. But that outburst was totally inexcusable. Throughout his career he’s been a kid picks up fouls early in basketball games.
"From a coach's standpoint, it changes who we are. He’s a really dynamic player that didn’t get a chance to show what he can do.”
As was the case in their first two 100-point efforts, the Aggies showed what they could do in the early going.
On the defensive end, Davis, Trocha-Morelos and Co. closed off the paint to the shorter Islanders, who managed just one inside field goal in the first 13 seven minutes.
By then A&M had built a 13-5 lead behind the shooting of House and Hogg, but the Aggies were just getting started.
Hogg drilled a three-pointer from the right wing and Alex Caruso followed with a layup on the baseline to kick off a 25-9 run for a 41-14 lead with 5:02 remaining in the half.
Trocha-Morelos hit two three-pointers and scored a dunk off a slick assist from Caruso in that run.
The final points came from Anthony Collins, who hit two free throws after the Rashawn Thomas received a technical foul. He had been called for an offensive foul, shouted toward an official and then kicked over a table behind the A&M-Corpus Christi bench.
However, that seemed to revive the Islanders. Behind Douvier, who scored 10 points, A&M Corpus Christi outscored the Aggies 20-6 to pull within 47-33 at halftime.
That’s as close as the Aggies would allow the visitors to get.
A&M started the second half with Davis hitting a jumper and Trocha-Morelos hitting a three-pointer off an assist from House.
“He’s becoming the player we thought we recruited,” Kennedy said of Trocha-Morelos. “He continues to get better as a player.”
“When I get the ball I just try to find everyone and get an easy basket before the defense is set,” Collins said.
The Aggies got a lot of easy baskets, they made some difficult ones and were almost perfect at the free throw line.
They just didn’t get to 100 points, which might have disappointed some.
“I think a couple of people (were disappointed),” Collins said. “We were just happy to win.”
The Aggies were reminded of that on Thursday night at Reed Arena.
Despite 54.4 percent shooting, strong rebounding, sound defense and another fast start, Texas A&M’s impressive streak came to an end.
Oh, the Aggies (3-0) still routed overmatched Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. But for the first time this season they failed to hit triple digits and settled for a “mere” 95-70 college basketball victory before a crowd of 5,392.
The Aggies shot 54.4 percent from the field, hit nine three-pointers, held a 38-26 advantage in rebounds, got 38 points off the bench and even hit 24 of 26 free throws — an area which was problematic for A&M last season.
“Corpus Christi is not a slouch basketball team,” A&M coach Billy Kennedy said. “They’re well coached and they have some older guys on the floor. We beat a much better team than we did the last two games.”
A&M roared out to a 41-14 lead and never let the visiting Islanders (1-1) draw closer than 13 points.
Heralded 6-10 freshman Tyler Davis led the Aggies with 16 points and eight rebounds, but he had plenty of help.
Matt Sachs, TexAgs
The high-flying Aggies were nearly perfect on free throws and had four players, including Tyler Davis, in double figures.
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"left","Size":"large","Caption":"The high-flying Aggies were nearly perfect on free throws and had four players, including Tyler Davis, in double figures.","MediaItemID":62717}
A&M-Corpus Christi was led by 6-7 senior forward Bryce Douvier with 28 points and 6-5 sophomore guard Joe Kilgore, who came off the bench to score 13.
The Islanders’ cause was hindered when 6-8 junior forward Rashawn Thomas picked up four fouls — the last one on a technical — in the first half. Thomas scored 30 points in a 94-72 season-opening win over Our Lady of the Lake.
“We have rarely played well when he picks up two fouls that early in the ball game,” Islanders coach Willis Wilson said. “He’s such an emotional kid … a great kid. But that outburst was totally inexcusable. Throughout his career he’s been a kid picks up fouls early in basketball games.
"From a coach's standpoint, it changes who we are. He’s a really dynamic player that didn’t get a chance to show what he can do.”
As was the case in their first two 100-point efforts, the Aggies showed what they could do in the early going.
On the defensive end, Davis, Trocha-Morelos and Co. closed off the paint to the shorter Islanders, who managed just one inside field goal in the first 13 seven minutes.
By then A&M had built a 13-5 lead behind the shooting of House and Hogg, but the Aggies were just getting started.
Hogg drilled a three-pointer from the right wing and Alex Caruso followed with a layup on the baseline to kick off a 25-9 run for a 41-14 lead with 5:02 remaining in the half.
Trocha-Morelos hit two three-pointers and scored a dunk off a slick assist from Caruso in that run.
The final points came from Anthony Collins, who hit two free throws after the Rashawn Thomas received a technical foul. He had been called for an offensive foul, shouted toward an official and then kicked over a table behind the A&M-Corpus Christi bench.
However, that seemed to revive the Islanders. Behind Douvier, who scored 10 points, A&M Corpus Christi outscored the Aggies 20-6 to pull within 47-33 at halftime.
That’s as close as the Aggies would allow the visitors to get.
A&M started the second half with Davis hitting a jumper and Trocha-Morelos hitting a three-pointer off an assist from House.
“He’s becoming the player we thought we recruited,” Kennedy said of Trocha-Morelos. “He continues to get better as a player.”
I think a couple of people (were disappointed). We were just happy to win.
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The Aggies eventually pulled away with a 16-4 run that was highlighted by Collins lofting an alley-oop pass from half court to House for a dunk that gave the Aggies a 66-41 lead and brought the crowd to its feet.“When I get the ball I just try to find everyone and get an easy basket before the defense is set,” Collins said.
The Aggies got a lot of easy baskets, they made some difficult ones and were almost perfect at the free throw line.
They just didn’t get to 100 points, which might have disappointed some.
“I think a couple of people (were disappointed),” Collins said. “We were just happy to win.”
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