No. 21 Aggies Beat Bulldogs, 61-60

Wednesday, January 6

Starkville, Miss.

7:30 PM

Texas A&M

12-2, 2-0

Mississippi State

7-6, 0-1

Texas A&M

Mississippi State

Jan 06, 2016 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Associated Press/Texas A&M Media Relations

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) -- Jalen Jones scored 11 points, including the go-ahead dunk with 20 seconds left, to lead No. 21 Texas A&M over Mississippi State 61-60 on Wednesday night.

Texas A&M (12-2, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) struggled to score for most of the night, but did just enough to earn its fifth straight win. D.J. Hogg and Alex Caruso also each scored 11 points, and Admon Gilder added 10.

It was tied in the waning seconds when Caruso hit Jones with a perfect pass on the baseline. The 6-foot-7 forward finished with the easy dunk to give the Aggies a 59-57 lead and they held on for the win.

Gavin Ware had 15 points and 13 rebounds for Mississippi State (7-6, 0-1). Malik Newman added 14 points.

The Aggies won despite shooting 19 of 62 (30.6) percent from the field.

Texas A&M was playing without guard Danuel House -- the team's second-leading scorer at more than 15 points per game. A team spokesman said House was in Texas dealing with a "personal matter," but was expected back for the Tennessee game on Saturday.

Mississippi State jumped out to a 19-11 lead in the first half after a terrible shooting start by Texas A&M. The Aggies were just 3 of 22 (14.3 percent) from the field during that stretch, missing open looks from inside and out.

But Texas A&M slowly pulled out of its offensive funk. Anthony Collins made a 3-pointer and converted a free throw for the rare 4-point play and Hogg hit a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to give the Aggies a 28-25 halftime lead.

Texas A&M Basketball
Postgame Notes
#21 Texas A&M 61, Mississippi State 60
Jan. 6, 2016 ? Humphrey Coliseum (Starkville, Miss.)

RECORDS & SERIES NOTES
? No. 21 Texas A&M improved to 12-2 with a 2-0 mark in SEC play following a 61-60 win over Mississippi State in Starkville on Wednesday night.
? Texas A&M has now won three meetings against the Bulldogs and leads the all-time series 5-3 … The two teams face off again on Feb. 24 in College Station.

TEAM NOTES
? Texas A&M earned the win despite shooting a season-low 30.6 percent from the floor (19-of-62) … A&M had 15 assists on 19 made field goals.
? After falling behind by as many as nine early in the contest, A&M used an 11-1 run to take a 22-21 lead at the 2:15 mark of the opening period.
? The Aggies made just three of their first 22 shots to start the game, but converted five of their final six field goals to close the first half to take a 28-25 lead into the intermission.
? Texas A&M used the starting lineup combination of Anthony Collins, Alex Caruso, D.J. Hogg, Jalen Jones and Tyler Davis for the first time this season (1-0).

INDIVIDUAL NOTES
? Senior Alex Caruso and freshman Admon Gilder each made a pair of free throws on one-and-one opportunities in the game's final 1:02 to help lift the Aggies to the win.
? Freshman D.J. Hogg fell just short of his first career double-double, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds.
? Hogg shared A&M's top-point honors with Caruso and Jalen Jones, who each also notched 11 points.
? Caruso dished out a game-high eight assists while committing just one turnover in the contest.
? Texas A&M head coach Billy Kennedy improved to 83-63 in his fifth season at Texas A&M and 294-242 in 18 seasons as head coach.

UP NEXT
? The Aggies' two-game road swing continues as Texas A&M will face Tennessee inside Thompson–Boling Arena in Nashville on Saturday. Tip-off is slated for Noon on SEC Network.