Aggies outclass Javelinas in final tune-up before Monday's opener, 90-47
After a close call against the Javelinas last preseason, the Aggies were sure to leave no room for doubt in this year’s exhibition.
Before officially embarking on the 2022-23 regular season, Texas A&M waltzed past Texas A&M-Kingsville in a 90-47 thumping on Friday night at Reed Arena. With a balanced offensive attack and stout defense, the Aggies controlled every facet of the game without much resistance.
“I could say that we used last year's game as a lesson that we need to learn from this year,” second-year guard Wade Taylor IV said. “We were talking about that the whole week. We had only won by four points, and they had 16 offensive rebounds. We turned the ball over 22 times last year.
“We just went the practice this week, you know, trying to focus on those things to help us make sure we get away this time.”
Overall, the Aggies owned an efficient 60 percent shooting clip while holding the Javelinas to just 29 percent from the field. They also found early success behind the free-throw line, finishing 18-of-21 — a stark improvement from last season’s 70 percent mark.
Freshman forward Solomon Washington impressed in his unofficial debut, leading all scorers with 15 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes. Taylor IV registered 11 points on 3-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc. Hayden Hefner and Michigan State transfer Julius Marble contributed 10 each.
Thanks to newly added size and athleticism, the outcome was never in doubt as the Aggies built a 30-point lead to close the first half with 30 points in the paint. A&M head coach Buzz Williams substituted liberally throughout the game as 14 different players saw action, with 11 scoring at least three points.
Though the team dominated, Williams still hopes to see improvement. The Aggies coughed up the ball 18 times and gave up 12 second-chance points after allowing 18 offensive rebounds. Yet, some of the turnovers he attributes to lineup changes and first-game sloppiness.
“A little too high of a turnover rate,” Williams said. “We had too high of a turnover rate on Saturday (scrimmage). This is a little better. It was a little faster game, but it's still something that we have emphasized this week that we need to improve on.”
The Aggies officially open the regular season on Monday against Louisiana Monroe. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CT.
