Zach Clemence leads Texas A&M's 3-point barrage vs. South Carolina

Game #20: Texas A&M 92, South Carolina 69
Records: Texas A&M (16-4, 6-1), South Carolina (10-9, 2-4)
Box Score

Bruised, battered and shell-shocked, South Carolina was in need of compassion and mercy.

But Texas A&M gave no clemency. Or maybe the Aggies gave too much. 

Zach Clemence went from role player to starring role as Texas A&M (16-4, 6-1) erupted for a 92-69 Southeastern Conference basketball victory over the shell-shocked Gamecocks (11-9, 2-5) on Saturday before 10,357 euphoric fans at Reed Arena.

Clemence, a transfer from Kansas, posted a career-high 21 points on a career-high seven 3-pointers to lead a record-setting performance from behind the arc that essentially clinched A&M’s third-straight SEC win by halftime.

The Aggies netted a dozen of their 17 shots from 3-point range in the first half. That barrage, in which they converted 54.5 percent, set an A&M program record for 3-pointers in a half.

Clemence hit four treys in the first half as the Aggies rolled to a 46-25 lead at the break.

“I’ve seen Zach have practices like that where you really can’t miss,” A&M head coach Bucky McMillan said. “That’s his strength. That’s one of the reasons we brought him here. He’s a stretch big.”

It’s no big stretch to suggest it was his emergence that propelled the Aggies to such a lopsided victory.

Bella Lerma, TexAgs

Before Saturday, Zach Clemence’s previous season-high came on Nov. 25, when he scored 15 against Mississippi Valley State.  

The Aggies looked out of sync in the early going. They actually trailed 14-7 about seven minutes into the game. They’d missed their last seven field goal attempts.

Then Clemence entered the game and hit a 3-pointer from the right wing to ignite a 20-5 run that put the Aggies in control, 27-19.

“The first one felt good. The second one felt good. The third one felt good. I just kept letting it go,” Clemence said. “It felt good, so I just kept shooting.”

South Carolina entered the game leading the SEC and ranked 10th in the nation in 3-point percentage defense.

Yet, A&M hit five of six shots from 3-point range in that run. The one that missed was rebounded by Rylan Griffen, who scored a put-back, was fouled and converted a conventional 3-point play.

“We were scoring in the first half at a very high rate,” McMillan said. “We made 54 percent of our threes. When that happens, you feel like a great coach over there.”

The Gamecocks were staggered. They needed mercy from the A&M onslaught.

But there was no clemency.

Clemence sandwiched a couple of 3-pointers around one from Pop Isaacs to push A&M’s advantage to 36-21 with 4:01 left in the half.

He added another trey, and Rubén Dominguez hit two as the Aggies built as much as a 24-point lead.

Bella Lerma, TexAgs

Texas A&M shot 43.6 percent from 3-point range, making 17 of its 39 shots from deep. 

The A&M margin reached 32 points — 70-38 — midway through the second half.

Boosted by guard Meechie Johnson’s 26 points, South Carolina made a mild run to pull within 76-60 with 5:15 left.

The Aggies then put an abrupt end to any chances for a miraculous South Carolina rally.

Marcus Hill scored a 3-point play, Rashaun Agee slammed a dunk, and Griffen drilled a trey in an 8-0 run that erased any possible late-game drama.

The only remaining question was just how good are these Aggies?

“We’re a dangerous team,” said guard Jacari Lane. “We’re real good and defensive in the full court and half court. So, if we could just turn it into offense and we’re knocking down shots, we’re a hard team to beat.”

To his point, A&M shot 47.8 percent overall and 43.6 percent from 3-point range. They converted nine of 10 free throws. They had 25 assists, forced nine turnovers, out-rebounded South Carolina, 43-30, gave up no fast break points and outscored the Gamecocks 43-9 from the bench.

While Clemence led the way, Griffen had 16 points, Agee and Isaacs had 11 each, and Dominguez and Ali Dibba both had nine.

“It’s easy to stop a team that has a shooter or two on the floor,” McMillan said. “It’s really hard to stop a team that has four shooters on the floor, sometimes five.


“Because if you just said ‘We’re not going to let Zach get one off or Ruben get one off,’  then Pop is open, right?”

Of course, that’s right. Everything went right for the Aggies.