After struggling throughout the majority of its matchup against Louisiana-Monroe, Texas A&M mounted a comeback to win the game 63-57 Monday night at Reed Arena.
Senior forward Josh Nebo also made his return to the court after missing the season opener due to a hamstring injury, giving the Aggies a clear shift in their momentum on the way to their win.
A&M trailed for the majority of the game until late in the second half. Until then the Aggies struggled severely shooting the ball from anywhere on the court. A&M finished with a first half stat-line of 34.5 percent on field goals, zero three point shots, and 25 percent on free throws.
The momentum of the game would begin to sway in the Aggies’ favor with the return of Nebo at the 17:50 mark in the second half. The senior shot three-for-three from the field, grabbed four rebounds, three blocks and a steal in his 17 minutes of play.
A&M coach Buzz Williams said Nebo’s return to the floor was a turning point in energy for the game.
“I thought it was the loudest that Reed has been since I’ve been here,” Williams said about the crowd reaction to Nebo stepping on the floor. “I thought he gave us great energy.”
Nebo said he feels comfortable in the system despite his lack of practice due to injury.
“I feel pretty comfortable,” Nebo said. “Like all players it’s kind of an adjustment, but overall I feel comfortable. It’s not perfect, but everyday it’s getting better.”
Junior guard Jay Jay Chandler played a pivotal role in the game as the leading scorer for the Aggies. Chandler would go five for eight on field goal attempts, two for three on three point shots, record 17 points on 27 minutes of play.
Chandler’s back-to-back three point makes played a key part in cutting ULM’s lead in the latter part of the second half, and a fast break opportunity that he took advantage of would give A&M the lead with a little less than eight minutes left.
Chandler said his back-to-back three pointers are something he works on, and felt little pressure when shooting them.
“Those are shots I always work on, so they didn’t come with any pressure,” Chandler said. “It just felt like everyday practice shots.”
The Aggies posted 55.6 percent shooting on field goals, 57.1 percent on three point shots, and 80 percent on free throws after struggling through the first half.
A&M will host No. 8 Gonzaga on Friday, Nov. 15 at Reed Arena. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. and will be televised on SEC Network.