Texas A&M head coach Billy Gillispie said he was disappointed with the slow start his team had Saturday against UT-Permian Basin, but he was probably happy with the final outcome, a 98-36 A&M win, the largest margin of victory in the program’s history.
“It’s fun when you win,” Gillispie said. “I’m encouraged by today’s game, and we’re really excited about the direction we’re headed. But, we have to figure out how to do great at the start. We’re lethargic in the first five minutes, and we can’t keep doing it.”
UT-Permian Basin (0-6), a member of the National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), which is a step under Division III basketball, was overmatched by A&M (3-0) the entire afternoon.
Despite the slow start, the only time the Aggies trailed the Falcons was at 3-2 in the beginning of the game.
“A win like this helps you get a lot of confidence and feel good about ourselves,” said A&M sophomore guard Acie Law IV. “Everyone gave a good effort on defense, and we just played together.”
Law was one of three A&M players to record double-doubles in the game, dishing out 11 assists and 18 points. Junior Antoine Wright had 17 points with 10 rebounds, and freshman Joseph Jones continued his solid play down low with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
“That’s not very common,” said Gillispie about the three players contributing double-doubles. “We’re going to have to have the same kind of play from those guys every game. Those are good accomplishments.”
Jones has scored in double figures in each of his first three games. Gillispie said he has high hopes for Jones and expects to continue to see improvement from him.
“He’s got a chance to be one of the best to ever play at A&M,” Gillispie said. “He’ll keep improving, and he’s got a great future.”
As A&M kept building the lead over the Falcons, the Aggies kept playing with intensity and hustling after loose balls.
“I was impressed with how hard they played in the second half,” said Permian-Basin head coach Billy Mims. “Most teams when they get a big lead on somebody kind of start coasting and not playing as hard. That shows A&M’s character. In all my years of coaching, this includes coaching professionally in Europe and at other levels, I’ve never seen a team pressure the ball and play as physical as they did.”