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BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M men’s basketball team bludgeoned the Beavers on the boards en route to Sunday’s 72-54 victory over Oregon State inside Reed Arena. The Aggies owned a 39-25 advantage in rebounding, including a 21-13 edge in the second half.
Texas A&M outscored Oregon State 46-24 in the second half. The Aggies played stifling defense coming out of halftime, holding Oregon State to 29.6% (8-of-27) shooting from the field. On the offensive end, the Maroon & White hit 50.0% (13-of-26) from the field, 42.9% (6-of-14) from 3-point range and 87.5% (14-of-16) from the foul line in the stanza. Texas A&M took its biggest lead of the game at the 9:06 mark with Manny Obaseki making a layup to inflate the cushion to 60-40.
Four Aggies registered double digits in the scoring column paced by Dexter Dennis’s season-high 16 points. He hit 5-of-9 from the field, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, and added four rebounds and two assists.
Tyrece Radford scored all 12 of his points in the second half, including A&M’s first eight in the stanza. The burst sparked a 19-5 run by the Aggies in the opening five minutes of the half, giving the Maroon & White a 45-35 edge. Radford chipped in with seven rebounds and three assists for the game.
Julius Marble logged 11 points and seven rebounds with eight points and all his boards coming in the second half. Obaseki tallied 11 points, hitting 5-of-8 from the field.
Oregon State led 30-26 at the intermission despite the Aggies leading for most of the action. The Beavers closed out the half with an 8-0 run over the last 2:12 of the opening act, including a pair of 3-point field goals by Dzmitry Ryuny.
The Aggies made their first three field goals of the game, building a 9-3 edge at the 17:14 mark. Texas A&M claimed its biggest lead of the first half when Dennis made two free throws, staking the Maroon & White to a 22-14 margin at the 7:37 mark.
Texas A&M Men’s Basketball Postgame Notes/Quotes
Texas A&M 72, Oregon State 54
Reed Arena (Bryan-College Station, Texas)
Head Coach Buzz Williams
On the key to the stellar second half performance…
“One of the things that I thought was a huge difference was that we had nine turnovers in the first half and only three in the second half. Five of those nine were live ball. We were doing some good things in the first half on the glass, I thought we were even better in the second half on the glass. I think the major statistical difference would be that we played without turning it over.”
Dexter Dennis
On Transition Defense in the Second Half…
“A lot of things improved in the second half. We started out really well, then they went on a bit of a run; they have some guys that can shoot very well. I think that when we’re hooked up on defense, we’re one of the best in the country. We try to do that as much as we can, and the coaches get all the credit. Coach has been doing a good job of making sure were getting better every day, improving our weaknesses as a team and as individuals. All the credit goes to coach.”
Julius Marble
On Adjustments Made Coming into the Game…
“It made a huge difference. The guys really bought in to the adjustments coach made when they laid down the plan for each player. We were all focused in and that’s what you saw tonight. It goes back to the coaches. The adjustments we made have taken us out of long rotations and closeouts, going from one spot on the court and trying to contain the ball. The adjustments have helped us in our all-around game.”
RECORDS & SERIES NOTES
- Texas A&M defeated the Oregon State Beavers, 72-54, Sunday evening at Reed Arena.
- The Maroon & White improve to 6-3 overall and remain undefeated at Reed Arena this season.
- The Aggies move to a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series with the Beavers.
TEAM NOTES
- A&M won its 20th straight non-conference home victory dating back to a 73-62 loss to Oklahoma State at Reed Arena in a Big 12/SEC Challenge contest on Jan. 25, 2020.
- The Maroon & White also won its ninth straight game at Reed Arena dating back to Feb. 15, 2022.
- Texas A&M had four players finish in double figures with the last time coming against Murray State on Nov. 17.
- The Aggies outrebounded the Beavers with a 39-25 margin.
- The A&M bench scored 24 points with Manny Obaseki leading the squad with 11.
- Texas A&M used the starting lineup combination of Dexter Dennis, Wade Taylor IV, Andre Gordon, Tyrece Radford and Julius Marble for the first time this season (1-0), marking the fifth starting lineup combination of the year.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Dexter Dennis
- Registered a season-high 16 points and a season-high four triples.
- Finished in double figures for the second straight game and fourth of the season.
- Went 5-for-9 from the field, 4-for-7 from behind the arc and 2-for-2 at the free throw line.
- Led the team in points for the first time this year.
Julius Marble
- Slammed in his fifth dunk of the season and 24th of his career.
- Logged a season-high seven rebounds.
- Recorded double figure for the fifth time this season after finishing with 11.
Manny Obaseki
- Recorded the 10th dunk of his career.
- Registered 11 points to tally double figures for the third time this season.
- Tied his career high in steals with two.
Tyrece Radford
- Scored all 12 points in the second half.
- Tallied double-digits for the second consecutive game and fifth of the season.
- Hauled in a team-leading seven rebounds, tied with Julius Marble.
- Logged a season-high 34 minutes of action.
Wade Taylor IV
- Scored nine points while going a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe.
- Dished out a team-high six assists.