Aggies Welcome Islanders to Reed Arena Thursday Night

Thursday, November 19

College Station

7:00 PM

Texas A&M

A&M-Corpus Christi

Buy Tickets

Nov 18, 2015 | Men's Basketball

By: Texas A&M Media Relations

Aggie Basketball Game #3:
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (1-0) at Texas A&M (2-0)
Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015 · 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Reed Arena (12,989) · College Station, Texas

TV: SEC Network PLUS (For more info – 12thMan.com/TV)
Will Johnson, Play-by-Play
John Thornton, Commentary

RADIO: Texas A&M Radio Network
Dave South, Play-by-Play
Al Pulliam, Commentary
Local: WTAW 1620 AM (College Station/Bryan)

LIVE AUDIO/STATS: 12thMan.com
LIVE MOBILE LIVE STATS: tamustats.com

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COLLEGE STATION – Riding the momentum of back-to-back 100-point performances to begin the new campaign, the Texas A&M men's basketball team returns to the court at Reed Arena Thursday night at 7 p.m. to host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Thursday's game will be available digitally on mobile devices, tablets, PCs and connect-TVs for SEC Network subscribers whose cable/satellite packages allow access to SEC Network+ content through the WatchESPN app and SECSports.com. Additionally, radio coverage on the Aggie Sports Network can be heard locally in the Bryan/College Station area on WTAW 1620 AM.

Led by a potent mix of experienced veterans and talented newcomers, the Aggies have coasted to big wins over USC Upstate and Southeastern Louisiana in their first two contests, hitting the 100-point mark in each affair.

The mix of experience and youth was evident during Monday's win over the Lions as returning first-team All-SEC performer Danuel House scored 20 points to reach the 20-point plateau for the eighth time in his A&M career while rookie Tyler Davis enjoyed a double-double performance, finishing with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

A&M features five players averaging double-digit scoring during the season's opening week – House (17.5 points per game), Davis (17.0), DJ Hogg (15.5), Admon Gilder (15.0) and Tonny Trocha-Morelos (12.0).

The Islanders, meanwhile, are coming off a 94-72 home victory over NAIA opponent Our Lady of the Lake on Friday in Corpus Christi. Head coach Willis Wilson is in his fifth year at the helm of the A&M-CC program and returns four starters and 12 overall letterwinners from last season's 20-win club.

Preseason All-Southland First Team honoree Rashawn Thomas led the Islanders during their season-opening affair with an impressive 30-point, 12-rebound, four-block performance.

Thursday's game will give fans the chance to take advantage of the weekday family packs. The ticket pack has options of $10/person for balcony seats and $15/person for baseline mezzanine seats and the package includes: 1 ticket, a drink, a hot dog and a giveaway. For purchase and more information, click here.

OPENING TIPS

• The Aggies' four-game homestand continues Thursday night when they host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in a 7 p.m. contest at Reed Arena.
• The heralded Aggie freshmen class (Tyler Davis, Admon Gilder, DJ Hogg and Elijah Thomas) is already making major contributions on the court for the team, with the quartet accounting for 53.9 percent of A&M's scoring output through two games (112 points).
• Davis is coming off his first career double-double, compiling 18 points and a game-high 12 rebounds during Monday's win over Southeastern Louisiana ... The Plano, Texas, native is averaging 17 points and 9.5 rebounds through two games this season, but perhaps his most impressing statistic is his efficiency from the floor ... Davis has converted 11-of-13 field goal attempts to rank third nationally among players who have attempted more than 10 shots with a 84.6 field goal percentage.
• Excellent ball movement has been a staple of the A&M offense early this season, the Aggies are second in the country in Assists/Field Goals Made at 83.1 percent and have collected assists on 59 of 71 made field goals ... Last season, A&M finished 34^th in the country and second in the SEC at 60.2 percent.
• Senior transfer point guard Anthony Collins leads the way with 12 assists this season, while classmate Alex Caruso, who led the SEC in assists each of the last two seasons, has notched 11.
• On Tuesday, senior Danuel House was honored this week with a spot on the watch list for the 2016 Wooden Award, presented annually to college basketball's player of the year.
• The Aggies are 128-13 (.908) all-time in non-conference games inside Reed Arena, which hosted its first basketball game in the fall of 1998.

SERIES HISTORY VS. TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI (A&M LEADS 3-1)

• The Aggies and Islanders first met in December of 2003 with the Islanders stunning the Aggies in College Station 82-80.
• The Aggies have won 54 consecutive November home games dating back to a loss November 26, 2000 against Birmingham Southern.
• Billy Kennedy has posted a 15-7 record against in-state opponents while at Texas A&M including a 13-3 in non-conference games.
• In the first season of both head coaches with their respective programs, the two teams squared off in Reed Arena where the No. 24 Aggies knocked off the Islanders 56-43.
• In the Islanders most recent trip to College Station in December of 2012, the Aggies came away with a 66-54 win led by Fabyon Harris' 17-point performance.
• In his time at Rice, Willis Wilson compiled a 5-7 record against Texas A&M with a 5-4 mark against the Aggies in Southwest Conference play.
• Billy Kennedy and Willis WIlson met once while coaching at Centenary and Rice. The Gents beat the Owls 58-52 in Houston.

UP NEXT

The Aggies conclude their season-opening four-game homestand Saturday when they face Texas A&M UNC-Asheville at 3 p.m. The game will be streamed on SEC Network PLUS.

REED ARENA SUCCESS

• The Aggies are 2-0 on their home court this year and are now 210-76 (.734) all time in 18 seasons at Reed Arena ... the Aggies were 41-41 the first six years at Reed and are 167-35 since.
• In the last two seasons, Texas A&M is 33-7 (.825) on its home floor.
• A&M has won 82 of its last 98 home games against unranked opponents (31 of the last 43 in conference play).
• Texas A&M is 2-0 in non-conference games at Reed Arena this season ... the Aggies are 128-13 (.908) all-time in non-conference games inside the facility, which hosted its first basketball game in the fall of 1998 ... a loss to Rice on Dec. 22, 2011, snapped A&M's 67-game non-conference home win streak at Reed Arena (which dated back to the start of the 2005-06 season) and 80-game regular-season, non-conference home win streak (which dated back to 2003), both school records.

KEEPING IT 100 FOR A SECOND STRAIGHT GAME

For the second straight contest the Aggies needed a third digit on the scoreboard at Reed Arena, as they defeated Southeastern Louisiana 100-58 on Nov. 16.

The scoring outburst marked the first time A&M has scored 100 or more points in back-to-back games since 1989-90 when it accomplished the feat Feb. 21 at Arkansas & Feb. 24 at Rice under interim head coach John Thornton. It also marked the first time scoring 100+ in multiple games in a season since 2007-08.

The last time Texas A&M opened the season scoring 100+ in first two games was 1975-76 when the Aggies did it in four consecutive games.

Additionally, the 42-point win against SLU is the biggest margin of victory during the Billy Kennedy era and marked the Aggies' second win by 40-points or more, following a 104-64 win over USC Upstate during the season-opener.

HOUSE SELECTED TO WOODEN AWARD WATCH LIST

Coming off an impressive debut season in Aggieland, Texas A&M senior guard Danuel House has been selected to the watch list for the 2016 John R. Wooden Award, presented annually to college basketball's player of the year.

House is already off to a hot start this season, scoring 35 points (17.5 points per game) while adding 10 rebounds, five assists, a block and a steal in just two games. During the team's most recent outing, a 100-58 win over Southeastern Louisiana Monday night, House scored 20 points to reach the 20-point plateau for the eighth time in his A&M career.

Already this season, House has been named First Team Preseason All-SEC by the league's coaches and media voters who cover the league, while earning a spot on the watch list for the 2016 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award.