Williams earns 350th career win as No. 23 A&M overwhelms Lamar
Coach Buzz Williams earned his 350th career win as No. 23 Texas A&M (2-1) washed away the Lamar Cardinals (1-1), 97-71.
"I’m blessed and living a dream way bigger than I ever thought,” Williams said. “You grow up wanting to do it. A lot of credit goes to hundreds of players. The loyalty and continuity of the staff makes me feel incredibly blessed.”
This past weekend’s forecast saw scattered showers across the Bryan-College Station area.
While the weather cleared up on Monday night, the Aggies still brought a storm to Reed Arena.
Fans needed an umbrella because the Aggies were making it rain 3s early.
After a slow start that saw the visitors jump out to an early 5-0 lead, Zhuric Phelps and Andersson Garcia nailed back-to-back 3s to jumpstart the offense.
A quick 9-2 run gave the Aggies the lead, and they never looked back.
Thanks to Garcia’s 10 points in his first five minutes, A&M exploded for eight 3-pointers in its first 12 attempts.
The “Dominican Rodman” finished with a career-high 15 points.
“Andy is really bright,” Williams said. “He is a much more confident shooter than he has ever been because of the work he’s put in. He can shoot.”
For the second straight game, Williams’ offense reached the half-century mark in the first half, outscoring the Cardinals, 50-29, and they continued that dominance in the second half.
Before you could even count to 11, Wade Taylor IV hit the 11th triple of the night just 11 seconds into the second half on the 11th day of the 11th month.
You couldn’t script a better stat than that.
As A&M slowed the game down in the second, Lamar picked up its press to stay within striking distance. The Cardinals were only outscored 47-42 over the final 20 minutes.
The Aggie offense that exploded for 10 first-half 3s hit just two in the second half as their percentage dipped from 58.8 percent to 22.2 percent.
The first half was all about the long ball, but the second saw more of the traditional style of Aggie basketball.
All told, A&M wore down Lamar for 40 points in the paint while spreading the ball around for 21 assists.
The Aggies also dominated the glass, outrebounding Lamar 46-31.
“When we take the shots we need to take, it helps our offensive rebounding,” Henry Coleman III said. “It also helps us in transition and helps us get downhill. Having Zhuric back, he’s such an unbelievable athlete. He changes our team. He makes a huge impact.”
Phelps led the Aggies in scoring with 16 points, adding another dimension to the Aggie offense that allows them to beat teams in different ways.
“It almost looks like he’s on roller skates out there,” Williams said about Phelps. “He’s just so fast. Not only does Zhuric impact our team, but he’s going to make the game easier for the four guys out on the floor. I think he has a very high ceiling. He’s a great on-ball defender and that changes our team. I don’t think he’s close to his ceiling yet.”
The chase for triple digits fell just short as the Maroon & White won their second straight home game against a Southland Conference opponent.
Up next, A&M and No. 21 Ohio State will clash in their first top-25 matchup of the season at Reed Arena on Friday.
Coleman, who led the Aggies with 20 points and 11 rebounds in a 73-66 win over the Buckeyes last season, added: “I can’t wait for Friday.”
We can’t either.
