NEW YORK (AP)–Robert Williams had 11 points, 11 rebounds and a handful of alley-oop dunks to help No. 16 Texas A&M beat Oklahoma State 72-55 in the first game of the 2017 Progressive Legends Classic on Monday night.
Williams added three steals and two blocks for the Aggies (3-0).
DJ Hogg led all scorers with 18 points. Tonny Trocha-Morelosfinished with 12 points and Admon Gilder had 10.
The loss was the first of the season for Oklahoma State (3-1). Brandon Averette led the Cowboys with 10.
The Aggies took a 39-22 lead into halftime, thanks to Williams and a 25-7 run over the final eight minutes of the half. Williams checked in five minutes into the game and scored nine points in the first half, eight on alley-oops.
Texas A&M extended the lead to 22 after Gilder knocked down a jumper 1:22 into the second half. Oklahoma State outscored the Aggies 18-8 in the next 8:03 to cut the deficit to 52-42.
Just as it looked as if Oklahoma State would seriously challenge Texas A&M, the Aggies had a 12-3 run to push their advantage to 64-45 and essentially decided the outcome. The stretch was punctuated by Gilder’s 3-point baskets on consecutive possessions.
POSTGAME NOTES
RECORDS & SERIES NOTES
- No. 16 Texas A&M (3-0) won its third straight game to begin the 2017-18 season Monday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn during the Progressive Legends Classic, defeating previously unbeaten Oklahoma State 72-55.
- The all-time series between the schools now stands at 31-18 in favor of the Cowboys … Texas A&M, however, has won five of its last six meetings vs. OSU.
TEAM NOTES
- The 55 points scored by the Cowboys as well as their 29.9 field goal percentage were each the lowest by an Aggie opponent this season.
- The Aggies closed the first half on an 18-4 run to take control of the game and go to the intermission leading 39-22 … A&M led by as many as 24 in the contest.
- Texas A&M used the starting lineup combination of Duane Wilson, Admon Gilder, DJ Hogg, Tonny Trocha-Morelos and Tyler Davisfor the second time this season (2-0).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Junior forward DJ Hogg paced the Aggies in scoring for the second straight contest, finishing with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field … Hogg was 4-of-7 from 3-point range and is now shooting 65.0 from long distance through three games this season.
- Sophomore forward Robert Williams returned to the court for the Aggies after missing the season’s first two games due to suspension … the Oil City, La., native recorded his 12th career double-double, finishing with 11 points and 11 rebounds … Williams also two blocked shots to extend his school-record blocked shot streak to 32, each contest of his carded collegiate career.
- Junior guard Admon Gilder hit double-digit scoring for the third consecutive game to begin the season, finishing with 10 points … Senior Tonny Trocha-Morelos, meanwhile, chipped in 12 points during the win.
- Billy Kennedy is now 118-85 during his seven-year tenure at Texas A&M and 329-264 in 20 seasons as a head coach.
UP NEXT
- Texas A&M advances to the title game of the 2017 Progressive Legends Classic, where it will face either Penn State or Pitt on Tuesday at 5 p.m. (CT) inside the Barclays Center.
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics