November 11, 2002
Freshman forward Antoine Wright scored 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting as the Aggies opened up the exhibition season with an 86-73 victory over MBC Nikolaev Monday before 2,831 fans at Reed Arena.
Wright, from San Bernardino, Calif., was one of three A&M players in double figures on the night. Senior guard Bernard King scored 16 and dished out six assists, while junior transfer Kevin Turner poured in 15. Senior Keith Bean controlled the boards with 10 rebounds while Wright had eight and junior forward Jesse King added seven.
A&M led by 15 at the break and opened up as much as a 26-point lead in the second half.
Nikolaev was led by Oleksandr Rayevskyy's game-high 31 points. Oleksandr Chausov added 11.
A&M plays its final exhibition game of the season on Tuesday, Nov. 19 against the EA Sports All-Stars. Tipoff at Reed Arena is set for 7 p.m. The Aggies open the regular season on Sunday, Nov. 24 against Texas Southern.