Returning to Reed, Aggies Host Islanders Monday Night

Monday, December 5

College Station

7:00 PM

Texas A&M

A&M-Corpus Christi

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Dec 04, 2016 | Men's Basketball

Buy Now Texas A&M Game Notes Texas A&M-CC Notes SEC Men's Basketball

By: Texas A&M Media Relations

Aggie Basketball Game #7:
A&M-Corpus Christi (5-1) at Texas A&M (4-2)
Monday, Dec. 5, 2016 · 7 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
Dr. John Thornton, Commentary
Acie Law IV, Commentary

RADIO: WTAW 1620 AM (Bryan-College Station)
Dave South, Play-by-Play
Al Pulliam, Commentary

LIVE AUDIO/STATS: 12thman.com/live
LIVE MOBILE LIVE STATS: tamustats.com

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COLLEGE STATION – Following a trip to the West Coast last week, Texas A&M men's basketball team returns to action on the hardwood inside Reed Arena on Monday where it will host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 7 p.m. to tipoff a three-game homestand in Aggieland.

Monday'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.

Additionally, Monday's contest will be the first of five Aggie men's basketball games during the Holiday Hoops promotion which features $5 general admission tickets.

Texas A&M (4-2) posted a runner-up showing during the Wooden Legacy last week, opening the tournament with a victory over CSUN before erasing a 17-point second half deficit to defeat Virginia Tech during the semifinal round. The event's championship round saw the Aggies face off against No. 14 UCLA, hanging tough against the Bruins before falling 74-67.

Sophomore Tyler Davis averaged 12 points and 7.3 rebounds during the three-game run in Southern California to earn All-Tournament honors but was far from the only Aggie standout at the Wooden Legacy.

Second-year guard Admon Gilder dished out 15 assists and averaged 16 points per outing while shooting 54.3 percent from the field during the tournament, while classmate DJ Hogg led the Aggies with a 16.7 point-per-game average at the event.

Rookie Robert Williams drew the attention from national pundits for his showing at the Wooden Legacy, by averaging 12 points and 6.7 boards while leading the entire tournament field with eight blocked shots. The Vivan, La., native was named SEC Freshman of the Week last Monday for his efforts at the Wooden.

The Aggies are looking to start a new winning streak at Reed Arena as a narrow 65-63 home loss to USC on Nov. 18 snapped a 19-game Texas A&M winning streak inside the facility against non-conference foes during regular season play.

The Islanders (5-1) come to College Station after seeing their five-game season-opening winning streak snapped during an 82-70 loss at Cal Poly Saturday night.

Led by head coach sixth-year Willis Wilson, this will be the second consecutive season A&M-Corpus Christi has made a visit to Aggieland as last season the two schools squared off inside Reed Arena on Nov. 19. Led by Tyler Davis' 16 points and eight rebounds, the Aggies earned a 95-70 victory over the Islanders. Tonny Trocha-Morelos contributed 15 points and Hogg added 14 in last season's matchup.

OPENING TIPS

• The Aggies return to the friendly confines of Reed Arena to tip-off a quick, three-game homestand Monday when they host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
• Under Billy Kennedy's direction the Aggies are 14-4 against in-state opponents during non-conference play at Reed Arena.
• Additionally, Texas A&M is 14-0 against Southland foes under Kennedy and have already notched a win over a Southland opponent this season, defeating Northwestern State 72-44 in the opener … Overall, A&M has won 30 consecutive games vs. Southland schools.
• As highlighted by last season's historic come-from-behind victory over UNI during the second-round of the NCAA Tournament, the Aggies have been able to overcome large deficits in recent seasons … Another chapter of the A&M comeback book was written during the Wooden Legacy as the Aggies erased a 17-point second half deficit to defeat Virginia Tech 68-65 … The rally stands out as the biggest deficit overcome to win a game during the Billy Kennedy era at Texas A&M.
• Another impressive feat occurred during the win over the Hokies as a trio of Aggies recorded double-double – DJ Hogg (17 points / 10 rebounds), Robert Williams (13 points / 10 rebounds) and Tyler Davis (12 points / 10 rebounds) … For Davis it stood out as his fourth career double-double, while it was the first such performance for Hogg and Williams.

SERIES HISTORY VS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI (A&M LEADS 4-1)

• The Aggies and Islanders first met in December of 2003 with the Islanders stunning the Aggies in College Station 82-80.
• In the first season of both head coaches at 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 on Nov. 19 of last season, the Aggies came away with a 95-70 win led by Tyler Davis' 16-point performance.
• In his time at Rice, Willis Wilson compiled a 5-9 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.

TEXAS A&M TEAM DEFENSE (Through 12/3 games)

A calling card of Texas A&M basketball under Billy Kennedy has been a commitment to stifling team defense. This season is no different as the Aggies rank among the country's leaders, featuring both an in your face man-to-man defense as well as a long, athletic zone.

• Texas A&M ranks 32nd nationally in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 62.3 points per game on average, and ranks 20th in the country in field goal percentage defense, limiting foes to just 37.1 percent shooting from the field.
• Additionally, A&M ranks second in the SEC in scoring defense.
• The Aggies have held all six of their opponents to below their season average this season as well as limiting five of the six teams to their lowest point total of the season ... UCLA, which ranks second nationally averaging 97.0 points per game, was held to 74 points.

WILLIAMS REVIVING AGGIES' BLOCK PARTY

Billed as one of the SEC's most athletic rookies, Robert Williams has wasted little time making his presence felt on the court for the Maroon & White and one of his biggest statistical impacts has come in the blocked shots column.

As a team last season, the Aggies collected 133 blocks in 37 games for an average of 3.59 blocks per game. Albeit in a small sample size, Williams has 16 blocks in six games (2.7 per game) while the Aggies have 37 in the two contests (6.2 per game). The rookie from Vivan, La., notched five swats against Northwestern State during his first collegiate game to become the first Aggie to notch five blocks in a game since Keith Davis against Sam Houston State on Dec. 7, 2011.

Williams ranks third nationally in block percentage on kenpom.com (through Dec. 1 games). The metric is the percentage of opponents' two-point shots that are blocked by the player while he is on the court.

COME-FROM-BEHIND VICTORY HIGHLIGHTS AGGIES' RUN AT WOODEN LEGACY

During their runner-up showing at the 2016 Wooden Legacy the Aggies received national praise for an impressive come-from-behind effort over a solid Virginia Tech squad.

Texas A&M trailed by 17 during the second half (53-36) before it outscored the Hokies 32-12 during the game's final 14:04 to complete the comeback, which stands out as the biggest come-from-behind win of the Billy Kennedy era at A&M.

Against the Hokies, the Aggies dominated the paint, owning a 44-18 edge for points in the paint and a 49-30 advantage in the rebounding column.

AGGIES FACE ARIZONA IN HOUSTON DURING LONE STAR SHOOTOUT

Having already faced a pair of Pac-12 schools this season in USC and UCLA, the Aggies will get another shot at a marquee victory against a well-regarded West Coast team when Texas A&M faces No. 16 Arizona inside Houston's Toyota Center on Dec. 17.

The contest will be the opening portion of an exciting college basketball doubleheader that will also feature Arkansas and Texas facing off on the hardwood at the Toyota Center following the A&M contest.

REED ARENA SUCCESS

• The Aggies were 17-1 on their home court last year (2-1 this season) and are now 227-78 (.744) all-time in 18 seasons at Reed Arena ... the Aggies were 41-41 in the first six years at Reed and are 186-37 since.
• In the last three seasons, Texas A&M is 50-9 (.847) on its home floor.
• A&M has won 96 of its last 112 home games against unranked opponents (38 of last 50 in league play).
• Texas A&M was 9-0 in non-conference games at Reed Arena last season (2-1 this season) ... the Aggies are 138-14 (.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.