The Texas A&M men’s basketball team fell to South Carolina 79-68 in Colonial Life Arena. The Aggies, who are still looking for their first SEC win of the season, have dropped two conseutive  games against Tennessee and sixth ranked Kentucky, to start conference play at 0-3.
The first half saw highs and lows for the Aggies. A&M headed into halftime with fifteen turnovers and only ten assists, but still held a 38-36 lead. This was largely thanks to 70 percent shooting from the field led by sophomore DJ Hogg’s 14 points, who was 4-4 from three in the opening half.
The second half would favor the Gamecocks as South Carolina would start out on a 12-2 run. A&M would see over three minutes go by before their first points, courtesy of two free throws made by sophomore Tyler Davis. The two teams traded leads throughout the second period, but turnovers and South Carolina offensive rebounds would prove too much for the Aggies to overcome.
The Gamecocks would come away with the victory. A&M tied their season high 25 turnovers from their last game and gave up seventeen offensive rebounds. Duane Notice led the Gamecocks with 19 points, and Hogg led all Aggies with a season high 25 points. The Aggies fall to 8-6 on the season.
One bright spot for A&M was high shooting efficiency from deep. Hogg was 6-6 from three at one point and finished 7-9. The team finished shooting 57.9% from deep and 52.9% from the field. Another takeaway was a solid night on the boards by freshman Robert Williams, who finished with 14 rebounds eight of which were on offense
The Aggies return to Reed Arena Wednesday, Jan. 11 to host LSU and try to claim their first SEC win. LSU is coming off a home loss to Mississippi State and hold a 9-5 (1-2 SEC) record.