The Texas A&M men’s basketball team began and ended their 2017 SEC Tournament run with a 66-41 loss to the Commodores inside Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
The Aggies (16-15, 8-11 SEC) return to the site where they nearly notched a 2016 SEC Tournament championship after topping Florida and LSU before falling to Kentucky in the championship game’s overtime. The Commodores (18-14, 11-8 SEC) haven’t reached the finals since 2012 and this is their first win at Bridgestone Arena since 2013. Vandy already swept a pair of meetings versus the Aggies this regular season and lead the all-time series 8-2.
Following tip-off, both squads struggled to get things going in the early minutes. The Aggies averaged just one point a minute during the first and set the record for the lowest scoring half. The Dores meanwhile shot just 7-29 from the field in comparison to A&M 8-22. Sophomore Tyler Davis struggled against the double team that helped force 10 A&M turnovers. The half closed with Vandy tallying a quick three to send them to the locker room with a 23-20 lead.
The Commodores returned to the hardwood after making some adjustments during the intermission that kicked off a shooting party. After a nearly stagnant first half, Vandy made A&M pay for their defensive ineptitude. Their offense completely took fire as Joe Toye and Riley LaChance combined for 9 three-pointers and soon put the game to bed.
In light of everything, the Aggies’ star trio showed up to play. Davis still put up 18 points and snagged seven rebounds despite relinquishing four turnovers. Freshman Robert Williams and sophomore Admon Gilder put up 9 and 11 points respectively. However, as far as scoring goes, that’s all the Aggies had going for them. Graduate JC Hampton hit a single three-pointer while all other six players failed to sink a single basket.
