After opening the season with a 82-63 win against New Orleans, Texas A&M men’s basketball will play host to Tarleton State on Wednesday, Dec. 2.
Against New Orleans, senior guard Quenton Jackson posted a career-high scoring outing with 28 points on 84 percent shooting while also grabbing seven rebounds. The Aggies shot for 44 percent from beyond the arc and 50 percent from the field.
A&M coach Buzz Williams said the team has done well in deciding where to execute on the court.
“We have to continue working on making sure the shots we shoot are the shots we ultimately want to be shooting,” Williams said. “I think our staff and kids have done a good job of doing that. Is this what we want to see at the end of every game? Absolutely. Is this something we are going to be able to do each game? That is yet to be determined, but it was for sure an encouraging start.”
Two other Aggies joined Jackson with double-digit scoring. Sophomore guard Andre Gordon posted 15 points on 6 of 12 shooting while freshman guard Hassan Diarra snagged six steals and scored 14 points in his collegiate debut.
Additionally, senior guard Savion Flagg was one point shy of his ninth career double-double, grabbing 11 boards.
Eight Aggies played 12 or more minutes in the season opener, and all but one recorded a steal, totalling 16 steals of the 27 turnovers forced by A&M. Four other Aggies join Diarra in their collegiate debut, two of which also notched two steals apiece.
Tarleton State, in its Division I debut, wiped the court with Dallas Christian in a 103-48 blowout on Nov. 25. The Texans are coached by Billy Gillispie, who led A&M to two NCAA Tournament appearances from 2004 to 2007.
“Everybody loves Coach [Gillispie],” Williams said in his radio show on Nov. 30. “I think if Coach would’ve stayed, I think Coach would still be the coach here. What he was able to do in a very short amount of time here… What Coach G did speaks for itself.”
A&M will host Tarleton State at Reed Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 2. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.