Playing just seven players, No. 8 Texas A&M was challenged by a mid-major foe for the second-straight game, but found its way past Buffalo late, 89-73.
Pulling within four at 69-65 with 3:43 to go, the Bulls (7-5) had the Aggies (11-1) on the ropes. A&M, however, outscored Buffalo 20-8 for the remainder of the game, in large part by strong free-throw shooting, sinking 14-of-14 foul shots.
For the game, the Aggies took advantage of the charity stripe, going 28-of-33 while the Bulls were a meager 4-of-11.
“We got to the line, we drove the ball,” A&M head coach Billy Kennedy said. “Proud of the guys who played their strengths, driving the ball and getting paint touches. I thought we did a great job getting to the free throw line.”
Guard Duane Wilson led the team in scoring for the second-straight contest, dropping 21 points, earning a double-double by dishing out 11 assists. Center Tyler Davis had a double-double of his own for the third-straight game with 16 points and 11 boards.
Wilson was marked up by Davonta Jordan at first, but after Jordan got into foul trouble, Wes Clark was tasked with guarding the Aggie senior. Wilson whipped past Clark, who was playing in just his second game of the season after trying to become eligible academically.
“He got in the lane pretty much whenever he wanted,” Buffalo head coach Nate Oats said of Wilson. “Wes was supposed to be guarding Wilson and he didn’t do a very good job on him in the second half.”
In his second-straight start, forward Savion Flagg continued to produce, scoring 21 points, including the Aggies’ first 10 of the game. Flagg’s teammates are not surprised by the freshman forward’s numbers though.
“Savion’s been playing great for us,” Wilson said. “If you come to practice every day it’s no surprise. Savion’s one of the first guys in the gym, one of the last guys in the gym. He’s a workhorse. He’s always trying to learn, asking questions. He just wants to be on the floor. He’s hungry.”
Again, A&M was short-handed, as the team announced less than an hour before tip-off that forward D.J. Hogg and guards J.J. Caldwell and T.J. Starks had been suspended for violating school policy.
“They’ll definitely hear from the team collectively,” Davis said. “We’ll handle it in the locker room. Those are our brothers and they’ll hear from us.”
Added with Admon Gilder’s injury, the Aggies played just three guards. Normal bench players Jay Jay Chandler, who had his first career start, and Chris Collins saw significant action for A&M.
“I was really proud of the guys who came in and played,” Kennedy said. “Chris Collins, Savion Flagg, Jay Jay Chandler, the other guys who played tonight gave us some really great minutes.”
With limited guards, A&M relied heavily on its big men, at times playing just one guard, particularly late in the first half with Chandler and Wilson having two fouls each. The lineup played to the Aggies favor as they outscored the Bulls 50-14 in the paint and out-rebounded them 44-34.
Strong shooting from three-point range kept the Bulls in the game during the first half, only trailing 34-31 at the break. Buffalo shot 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from deep in the first 20 minutes, only making a pair of two-point baskets.
Buffalo continued to rely on three-pointers into the second half, finishing the game 17-of-39 from deep, only making nine two-point buckets.
“It’s just so hard to score at the rim on them,” Oats said of A&M’s siza. “When you can’t score at the rim, you’ve pretty much got to make a bunch of threes instead and your legs get tired late in the game and it gets tough on you.”
A&M returns to the court next Saturday, Dec. 30 as the Aggies travel to face Alabama in their SEC opener. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. and the game will be aired on ESPN2.