COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Christian Mekowulu and Brandon Mahan each scored 20 points as Texas A&M defeated Valparaiso 71-49 on Wednesday night.
The Aggies (5-4) held a 16-point lead at halftime and the Crusaders (6-6) trailed by double digits the rest of the way, in an anticlimactic second half. Bakari Evelyn led Valpo with 10 points, the lone Crusader to score in double figures.
The Aggies 34-18 at the break, getting 14 first-half points from Mekowulu and holding a 25-15 rebounding advantage in that span.
Mahan and Mekowulu, both transfers, made a combined 15 of 19 from the field, including 8 of 9 by Mekowulu, mostly from in the paint. Mahan was 4-of-7 from 3-point range, while Valpo finished 3 of 22 from behind the arc.
Texas A&M Basketball Postgame Notes
Texas A&M 71, Valpo 49
Reed Arena (College Station, Texas)
ABOUT THE GAME
- Texas A&M improved to 5-4 on the season with a dominant, 71-49 win over Valpo at Reed Arena Wednesday night.
- The Aggies used a big spark from senior Christian Mekowulu and an early 20-2 run to distance themselves from the beginning. They took a 34-18 lead into the halftime break.
- A&M allowed the Crusaders to get within 11 in the second half, but quickly responded and kept the lead at 20-plus for nearly the rest of the game.
- The Aggies are now 3-0 against Valpo all-time.
TEAM NOTES
- The Aggies held Valpo to single-digit scoring for the first 15:29 of the game.
- For the third straight game, A&M forced its opponent to shoot under 35-percent from the field as the Crusaders shot 34-percent on the night and just 13.6-percent from beyond the arc (3-22).
- The 71-49 win is the Aggies’ second 20-plus point win of the season after defeating Northwestern State by 21 points earlier this month at Reed Arena.
- Wendell Mitchell made his first start as an Aggie as he joined TJ Starks, Savion Flagg, Brandon Mahan and Christian Mekowulu in the lineup.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Graduate transfer Christian Mekowulu ignited the Aggies from the start, finishing with a career-high 20 points, 14 of those coming in the first half. He added two blocks and drew a charge on the defensive end.
- Sophomore Brandon Mahan put up 15 points in the second half en-route to his first 20-point game of the season.
- Junior Wendell Mitchell filled out the stat sheet in his first start, finishing with eight points, nine boards and five assists.
- Billy Kennedy is now 142-102 in his eight-year tenure at Texas A&M and 353-281 in his 21 seasons as a head coach.
UP NEXT
The Aggies will remain at Reed Arena this weekend, capping off the week of home play by hosting Marshall on Saturday, Dec. 22. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. The game is part of the annual Holiday Hoops promotion, which features general admission tickets for $5 for adults and $3 for youth, available here.
POST GAME QUOTES
Head Coach Billy Kennedy
Opening statement…
“It was good to see the ball go in from the three-point line, I thought we were a little bit more assertive offensively. Brandon Mahanshowed what he is capable of doing, it was good to see him being aggressive offensively. I thought our defense in the first 17-18 minutes in the first half was really good, really solid. I thought we did a good job, I think they only had 11 points in the first 17-18 minutes. And that is how we have been able to win the games we won recently, because of our defense.”
On transfers Brandon Mahan and Christian Mekowulu meeting expectations …
“I thought they were capable, especially Brandon [Mahan], we signed him because of his ability, his scoring ability, shooting the ball. He did some good things defensively, but he put the ball on the floor and offensively he had his best game of the year, for sure. And Christian [Mekowulu] he just plays so hard and he is so aggressive, he works every day and puts in the time. And it is good to see him plays as well as he played today.”
On having players stepping up…
“That was good, we had John Walker III stepp up, I thought [Josh] Nebo did great things for us. And we got some plays from other people because Savion [Flagg] hurt his leg, and he did his best to play through it but we ended up taking him out in the second half and decided to go without him.”
On having a winning record…
“Well it’s good, like I said, to see some of the other guys help us win and figure out our team. We were able to play Savion [Flagg] some at the three, John [Walker III] at the four and rotate [Josh] Nebo and Christian [Mekowulu] at the five. And that has been good for us the last two games. Then to add Chuck [Wendell Mitchell], he has been really good for us on both ends of the floor. And he is capable, he made three threes last game, he made two this game, but he did a good job attacking the zone offense, he had five assist. He played a complete game for us.”
Senior forward Christian Mekowulu
On what made the game go so well for him…
“I just did what we’d been working hard on all week. We’d been practicing stuff and my teammates put me in position to get me going right from the jump and my shot was just going. We’ve been putting in work in practice and I feel like that helped with us tonight.”
On the motivation of playing against a talented 7-footer …
“I like playing against good post players. That gets me going in games, and the coaches said he was the leading scorer, so I came in ready to play, with the right mentality and stuff went my way.”
Sophomore guard Brandon Mahan
On his consistency from the 3-point line…
“I’m pretty sure it’s going to stay at a good level, because I’ve been in the gym working on my shot consistently, every day. My teammates are getting in the gym more too and we are all getting better together.”