After getting run out of Michigan last season by Oakland University in a 90-58 loss, the Texas A&M men’s basketball team had revenge on its mind and defeated Oakland 81-63 in front of 4,051 fans.
“This is a good win for us because they (kind of) came in with a little swagger after last year’s game,” said A&M junior guard Antoine Wright. “We marked this one on the schedule because of what they did to us last year, so it was definitely rewarding for the team to get this one.”
The Aggies came out firing in the first half and gained an early 20-point lead. The team’s strong shooting in the first half included going 18-26 from the field and 5-8 from three-point range. A&M pressured the Grizzlies early and forced them into committing costly turnovers that they couldn’t seem to overcome down the stretch.
“We just didn’t have defensive intensity or any intensity for that matter,” said Oakland head coach Greg Kampe. “I think when you’re the coach, you need to take the blame for not getting your team up for a game. I guess I take the blame for this one.”
In the second half, the Aggies continued their hot hand on offense with Antoine Wright leading the way, who finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. A&M freshman Dominique Kirk also continued the good start to his collegiate career, scoring 14 points and notching six assists.
The Aggies finished with their highest field goal percentage this season at 64 percent. The team also earned its highest assist output in this season with 28 assists.
“We fought pretty hard for the first part of each half on defense,” Gillispie said. “I was really surprised by the margin because I thought this would be a really tough game for us. Give them credit for the way they tried to get back in the game, but again, I was just really surprised by the margin of victory we had.”
The Aggies will only have two days to rest before taking on Prairie View A&M on Saturday.