A&M basketball had a satisfying Thanksgiving Day.
The Aggie men feasted off of hot three point shooting from Tonny Trocha-Morelos and Danuel House’s 19 points to take down the No. 10 ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs 62-61 in the semifinals of the Battle for Atlantis Tournament in the Bahamas.
One final defensive stop helped the Aggies seal one of the biggest wins of the Billy Kennedy era. A&M pulled out the win despite not making a single field goal for the final eight minutes of the ballgame, and they shot just 30 percent (6-for-20) in the second period of action.
Gonzaga (3-1) was led by Kyle Wiltjer who pitched in 18 points and seven rebounds. Josh Perkins had a big day as well, keeping Gonzaga in reach with his 15 points, most of which came late in the game. The Bulldogs were hurt by poor free throw shooting, and made just 36 percent of their attempts from the line.
The Aggies (6-0) were led by House’s 19, but Trocha-Morelos showcased why teams such as Kentucky were vying so intensely for his services. He was 4-for-4 from behind the arc for 14 points, three rebounds, two blocks and he made hustle plays all afternoon to keep A&M in the ballgame.
Both teams came out of the gates hot, and thanks to a Trocha-Morelos three-pointer at the buzzer, A&M led the Bulldogs 35-32 at the half.
A&M started the second half quick behind back-to-back threes from Trocha-Morelos, and mounted a 46-39 lead. From there, Gonzaga took control for the better part of the second half, and outscored A&M 22-14 for the final 15 minutes of the game.
Gonzaga took the lead late, but good free throw shooting brought the Aggies back from sure defeat, and an aggressive but disciplined defense gave A&M a chance.
With the game tied at 61-61, House was fouled and sent to the line with 1:05 to go in the game. He converted one of the two free throws, and the Aggies took the lead 62-61. After the two exchanged turnovers on, the Bulldogs had their shot at the win with 13.5 seconds to go. A&M locked down on defense, and the final shot harmlessly hit the front of the rim and fell to the floor as time expired.
Free throw shooting, which was a huge issue last year, was the reason for the Aggie win, as the team shot 81 percent from the charity stripe and put the Bulldogs away.
The win pushes A&M into the championship game of the tournament, where they will face either Syracuse or Connecticut on Friday. The title game will tip off at 2 pm on ESPN.