ROME – During its first full day in Rome, the Texas A&M men's basketball team played the initial exhibition contest of its European Tour, falling to the Nigeria National Team on Saturday by the score of 79-47.
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"That's a very good team we played," Texas A&M head coach Billy Kennedy said. "They've got a lot of grown men and did a really good job of running their offense. This was a good experience for our guys. We got to play a lot of people. I thought our young guys did some good things in a very tough venue. Overall, this was good for our team and we'll continue to get better on this trip."
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The Aggies were led in scoring by freshman Elijah Thomas, who scored 10 points during his first action wearing the Maroon & White. Senior Alex Caruso added six points, including a thunderous one-handed dunk on a break-away during the second when A&M outscored the Nigerians, whittling the lead down to just six points before the national team hit a last-second 3-pointer to go into the intermission leading 36-27.
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Rookie D.J. Hogg hit a pair of 3-pointers during the opening half, while sophomore Alex Robinson hit a pair of long-range jumpers after halftime.
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The contest was played by FIBA rules and featured four 10-minute quarters and a 24-second shot clock at the Stella Azzurra athletic facility.
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The Aggies continue their trip this week, with their next game coming Sunday against the Latina All-Stars in Latina, Italy.
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12thMan.com will have recaps, highlights and interviews throughout the trip. In addition to game coverage, look for video content, daily photo galleries and social media coverage from the event by following @AggieMensHoops and @AggiesBTB on twitter or facebook.com/aggiemenshoops.
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"That's a very good team we played," Texas A&M head coach Billy Kennedy said. "They've got a lot of grown men and did a really good job of running their offense. This was a good experience for our guys. We got to play a lot of people. I thought our young guys did some good things in a very tough venue. Overall, this was good for our team and we'll continue to get better on this trip."
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The Aggies were led in scoring by freshman Elijah Thomas, who scored 10 points during his first action wearing the Maroon & White. Senior Alex Caruso added six points, including a thunderous one-handed dunk on a break-away during the second when A&M outscored the Nigerians, whittling the lead down to just six points before the national team hit a last-second 3-pointer to go into the intermission leading 36-27.
Â
Rookie D.J. Hogg hit a pair of 3-pointers during the opening half, while sophomore Alex Robinson hit a pair of long-range jumpers after halftime.
Â
The contest was played by FIBA rules and featured four 10-minute quarters and a 24-second shot clock at the Stella Azzurra athletic facility.
Â
The Aggies continue their trip this week, with their next game coming Sunday against the Latina All-Stars in Latina, Italy.
Â
12thMan.com will have recaps, highlights and interviews throughout the trip. In addition to game coverage, look for video content, daily photo galleries and social media coverage from the event by following @AggieMensHoops and @AggiesBTB on twitter or facebook.com/aggiemenshoops.