With 14 minutes left in the game, junior forward DJ Hogg went up for a shot from behind the three-point line and was fouled resulting in a four-point play. Friday night, everything was going the right for Hogg and the Aggies as they defeated UC–Santa Barbara 84-65 at Reed Arena.
Hogg has been one of the integral parts on the A&M roster for the last two seasons. However, at the tail end of his sophomore season, Hogg injured his left foot sidelining him for the last seven games of the season.
Now back at full health, Hogg said he’s making sure he’s making the best out of his playing time.
“It feels so good, especially when we’re playing good, playing together and having fun on the court,” Hogg said. “it’s so fun. I missed so much, it just feels great to be back. all the hard work we’ve been putting in. just waiting waiting waiting. and the time is here so I’m just living in the moment.’
Hogg had a team leading 24 points and six rebounds against the Gauchos. UCSB head coach Joe Pasternack said that Hogg was one of the best players in the country.
“DJ Hogg, to me, is a first round draft pick,” Pasternack said. “He’s a stud. I don’t think there’s a better guy with size and the ability to shoot in America than DJ.”
The Aggies opened the game on a 7-0 run with graduate transfer Duane Wilson scoring the first points of the game. Giving A&M a lead they would never give up. In the first half, A&M shot 51.6 percent from the field.
Wilson said having the trio of Hogg, Tyler Davis and Admon Gilder creates a more fluid offense that is dangerous when firing at all cylinders. Davis had 14 points, two assists and three blocks in the game. Gilder, reigning SEC player of the week, totaled 14 points and was perfect from the free throw line.
“It’s real easy,” Wilson said. “Especially when they’re hot. For instance, the second half when we’re pushing up the floor, you know you have DJ [Hogg] streaking… just hit three in a row, or when Tyler [Davis] get hot you just go to the post and Tyler’s pretty much an automatic bucket… and its the same way with Admon [Gilder]. It takes a lot of pressure off of me. I had a little assist game this game, but it’s easy assists playing with those three guys.
In the second half, Texas A&M continued to roll taking a 27-point lead at one point. The Gauchos were unable to keep up with the high-powered A&M offense. Pasternack said he was proud of his team and how they responded.
“I think when you’re out there coaching and you see the shots they make just from the perimeter, tough shots, all their guards,” Pasternack said. It’s not very easy to guard them because they have such a great inside/outside combination. Again, I thought our guys competed for a full 40 minutes and that’s all we ask of them every single game and I’m proud of how they competed.”
Moving forward to the Kennedy said he’s excited to play in New York against Oklahoma State for the next round of the Legends Classic.
“Great opportunity for us in Brooklyn playing on the East Coast against a really good Oklahoma State team. I think Oklahoma State, they’ve had some dominating wins with a new coach and [are doing] a lot of good things defensively,” Kennedy said. “Offensively, they have a lot of weapons. I really believe that Oklahoma State will be the best team we’ve played up to this point. It’s a good stage for our team to get some exposure and for our team to know what we can do and who we can become.”
Texas A&M will be back in action, Monday, Nov. 20 as they take on the Cowboys at the Barclays Center. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CT.