Texas A&M Men’s Basketball Outlasts LSU in SEC Opener

News release from Texas A&M Athletics:  

The Texas A&M men’s basketball team opened conference play with a victory, edging out LSU 75-72 Saturday evening at Reed Arena.

The Aggies (11-3, 1-0 SEC) led for much of the second half, but eight straight points for LSU (12-2, 0-1 SEC) got the Tigers back within two and forced a Texas A&M timeout with just under seven minutes to play. LSU turned it into a 12-1 run over 3:37 to take its first lead of the half with 5:33 left in the game.

Four straight points from Rashaun Agee put the game back in Texas A&M’s favor, 68-66, with 2:05 on the clock. An Agee layup with 25 seconds remaining gave the Maroon & White a 71-68 lead and LSU was forced to foul in the closing seconds as the Aggies held on for the victory.

Agee led the way with 15 points and 11 rebounds to register his sixth double-double of the season. Rubén Dominguez knocked down four 3-pointers en route to a 13-point performance, while Ali Dibba scored a season-best 12 points and Pop Isaacs chipped in 11 to round out the double-digit scorers for the Aggies.

The two teams traded baskets to start the game, but back-to-back 3-pointers from Dominguez and Dibba, and a tip-in from Zach Clemence put the Maroon & White up 16-8 with 14:06 on the clock.

Texas A&M remained in control for much of the half until LSU strung together a 14-4 run to go up 34-31 with 1:00 remaining in the half. The Aggies responded quickly as Rylan Griffen knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game with 42 seconds on the clock and Dominguez struck again from long range as the final seconds ticked down to give the Maroon & White a 37-34 edge at the break. Texas A&M outrebounded the Tigers 22-14 in the first half, outscoring LSU 22-12 in the paint.

Play remained tight to start the second half before back-to-back Dominguez 3’s in a 23-second span forced an LSU timeout and put the Aggies up 47-40 with 15:22 on the clock. A three-point play from Marcus Hill made it nine-straight points for Texas A&M and got the difference to double digits for the first time on the night.

UP NEXT 
The Aggies hit the road, traveling to Auburn, Alabama, Tuesday for an 8 p.m. matchup with the Tigers on SEC Network.

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