COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas Southern knocked off its third Power 5 conference team on the road with an 88-73 victory over Texas A&M on Saturday at Reed Arena.
The Tigers (5-8), who already had wins over Baylor and then-No. 18 Oregon, got balanced scoring with five players in double figures to end the Aggies five-game win streak, four of which were at home.
LSU transfer Jalyn Patterson had 20 points for the Tigers, who got a big boost off the bench from TCU transfer Shawn Olden with 13.
Devocio Butler added 17 points as the Tigers went 12 of 26 from behind the arc.
Texas A&M (6-5) was paced by Wendell Mitchell with 21 points and Savion Flagg, who broke out of slump to score 17 points and add eight rebounds and six assists.
After trailing by 13 at the half, the Aggies got within 62-58 on a Mitchell basket after a steal of an inbounds pass, but the Tiger scored the next seven points and were never threatened again.
Texas Southern shot 60 percent in the first half and were 6 of 14 from behind the arc to lead 46-33. Butler had 11 first-half points, five in an 18-7 run to finish the half.
The Aggies were only 4 of 15 from behind the arc, with Brandon Mahan, their leading 3-point shooter going 0 for 4. TJ Starks had three of the 3s and 11 points off the bench in the opening 20 minutes.
Texas A&M Basketball Postgame Notes
Texas Southern 88, Texas A&M 73
Reed Arena (College Station, Texas)
ABOUT THE GAME
- Texas A&M snapped a five-game winning streak as it fell to Texas Southern Saturday afternoon, now sitting at 6-5 on the season heading into league play.
- Texas Southern used a 14-0 run late in first half to position itself for a 46-33 lead at the break. The Tigers came out hot, shooting 61-percent from the field despite entering the game with 40-percent average on the year.
- The Aggies had a strong start to the second half, putting together a 10-0 run in the opening minutes to get back within five.
- A&M was able to cut the difference to four with 9:30 left to play, but the Tigers responded with another lengthy run to seal the game.
TEAM NOTES
- A&M has seen at least four players reach double figures in three of its last four games, and five times total this season.
- The Aggies used the starting lineup of Wendell Mitchell, Jay Jay Chandler, Savion Flagg, Brandon Mahan and Christian Mekowulu for the second time this season. The lineup is 1-1 on the year.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Junior Wendell Mitchell recorded the first 20-point game of his Aggie career as he led the way with 21 points, knocking down five threes.
- Sophomore TJ Starks came off the bench for the second straight game. He put up 11 of his 14 points in the first half.
- Sophomore Savion Flagg neared his career high with first five assists in the first half, to go along with eight points. He finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
- Senior Christian Mekowulu scored in double figures for the fifth time in the last six games as he added 11 against the Tigers.
- Billy Kennedy is now 143-103 in his eight-year tenure at Texas A&M and 354-282 in his 21 seasons as a head coach.
UP NEXT
The Aggies will remain at home after a week off from games, starting SEC play by hosting Arkansas on Saturday, Jan. 5. Tip is set for 5 p.m., tickets are available here.
POST GAME QUOTES
Head Coach Billy Kennedy
Opening statement …
“We got beat by a better team today. I give Texas Southern credit, I thought they played extremely well, they shot the ball well. We had a hard time guarding them and I think they’re a very good team.”
On Texas Southern’s scoring ability …
“They are a very talented team. They’re a veteran team and we cut into the lead, we cut it to four, but they didn’t get rattled, they made big shots. They made 12 threes and we had a hard time guarding them, they matched up man for man. They outplayed us.”
On the difference in the first half…
“They never play zone and they played zone, and that’s what most teams do when they play us. Brandon Mahan struggled shooting the ball. But I think if you score 73 points against most teams, we should be able to win that game. Unfortunately, we couldn’t guard them, we really struggled with guarding, and [Trayvon Reed] made a three in the beginning of the game, and it seemed like everything he threw up went in. They were the better team.”
Junior Guard Wendell Mitchell
On heading into SEC play…
“Now it’s time to get back to work. It’s a whole new season. We need to put this loss behind us, figure out how to get better, and prepare the team for SEC play.”
Sophomore Guard Savion Flagg
On the reason for the loss…
“We lost communication sometimes. We weren’t really talking as much. If a team is shooting 50-percent from the three-point line, you’re not going to beat them.”
On individually having a good offensive game…
“It was good to get my confidence back up. The loss is unfortunate but it is nice knowing that all the work I’ve been putting in the last two weeks, with the coaches and getting me in the gym to shoot, is coming together now.”
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics