An anticipated battle turned into a runaway affair for No. 16 Texas A&M in its 75-59 win over No. 10 USC Sunday night at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.
After the Trojans (4-1) tied the game at 42 with 14:15 in the game, the Aggies (6-0) turned on the jets with a 19-3 run and raced out to a 61-45 lead with 8:24 to go.
USC pulled within 10 at 63-53, but another late surge put A&M ahead by as many as 19 points, creating an insurmountable lead.
Once again, forward D.J. Hogg led the Aggies with 15 points. Four other Aggies scored in double-figures, with guard Duane Wilson recording his third-straight double-digit night, scoring 13. Big men Tyler Davis and Tonny Trocha-Morelos added 10 each. Guard T.J. Starks had 10 of his own off the bench, and was rolling during the Aggies major run.
Inconsistent shooting troubled the Trojans, who shot 28.2 percent from the field, despite having numerous second chances after grabbing 16 offensive rebounds.
Overall, the Aggies controlled the glass, out-rebounding USC 52-39, even with key defensive cog Robert Williams seeing limited action due to foul trouble. Williams continued to throw his on-going block party, swatting a game-high four shots.
A&M fell behind early in a back-and-forth battle, but used a 14-2 run to establish a 21-12 advantage with 11:27 to go in the first half.
Wilson continued his hot ways in the first half by scoring nine points, but left the game into the locker room with just over three minutes before the break after falling awkwardly on right knee on fast break layup attempt. Fortunately, Wilson returned for the beginning of the second half.
Following a stretch of five games in nine days, the Aggies have a little rest before returning to the court at home this Thursday against UT-Rio Grande Valley. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.