Texas A&M looks to build on its best overall game of the season and stoke its momentum in the run up to the Southeastern Conference campaign when it hosts East Texas A&M on Sunday afternoon in College Station, Texas.
The Aggies (8-3) return to action after a week off and a 112-85 home win over Jacksonville on Dec. 14. The victory was a bounce-back game after a 93-90 overtime loss on a neutral court against SMU and was Texas A&M’s sixth win in its past six games.
Rylan Griffen posted a season-high 19 points on the strength of five 3-pointers to lead a balanced attack. Jamie Vinson scored 14 points, Mackenzie Mgbako had 13, Marcus Hill added 12 and Ruben Dominguez and Ali Dibba each had 10 as 14 players scored for Texas A&M, which led by 49 at one point.
The Aggies shot 59.2% from the floor, their best field-goal percentage of the season. Texas A&M has scored 110 or more points twice this season, the first time it’s done so since 1975-76.
Texas A&M coach Bucky McMillan said his team takes out the “pain from practice on the other team.”
“That’s what it needs to be like,” McMillan said. “And the further you get in the season, the harder you can practice when you know you’ve had them longer. And so we can administer a little more of that pain in practice, so they can come to the game foaming at the mouth a little bit.”
Sunday’s game is the penultimate nonconference contest before the Aggies open SEC play at home against LSU on Jan. 3.
The Lions (6-5) head to the Brazos Valley on the heels of a 70-69 win at Southeastern Louisiana on Monday. Ronnie Harrison canned a jumper with less than 6 seconds left to lift East Texas A&M to its second win in its past three games.
Harrison and Vinny Sigona scored 16 points each and Gianni Hunt added 10 as the Lions shot 45.1% from the field and 47.6% from beyond the arc.
The Lions won just five of 31 games a season ago and have already surpassed that win total.
–Field Level Media
