Thursday, December 21
College Station
8 p.m.
Texas A&M
11-1
89
vs
73
Buffalo
7-5
1
2
F
Buffalo
31
42
73
Texas A&M
34
55
89
Photo by: John Cavalier/Texas A&M Athletics
No. 8 Men Improve to 11-1, Down Buffalo 89-73
Dec 21, 2017 | Men's Basketball
COLLEGE STATION (AP)-- Duane Wilson scored 23 points and Savion Flagg added 21 as No. 8 A&M, playing without three suspended players, beat Buffalo 89-73 on Thursday night.
A&M announced before the game that junior guard D.J. Hogg, the team's leading scorer at 14.6 points per game, was suspended for three games for a violation of university policy. In addition, freshman guards J.J. Caldwell and T.J. Starks missed the game because of violations of team rules.
The thin Aggies also are missing starting guard Admon Gilder with an injured knee at least through early in Southeastern Conference play.
SEC play starts on Dec. 30 as A&M (11-1) plays at Alabama, and Hogg is scheduled to miss that game along with the conference home opener against Florida on Jan. 2.
Forward Robert Williams returned Thursday night after missing two games because of a concussion.
The Aggies did what they needed to do for the victory over the Bulls (7-5).
The Aggies led 60-58 with 6:36 remaining when Wilson hit a layup. Williams followed with a block on the other end, and Tonny Trocha-Morelos was fouled on an ensuing A&M fast break. Trocha-Morelos made the layup and resulting free throw, and within the span of less than a minute the Aggies led 65-58.
The Aggies got a scare a couple of minutes later when Williams missed a dunk on a fast break and landed awkwardly. He limped off the court with 4:24 remaining and didn't return, but appeared to be OK afterward.
RECORDS / SERIES NOTES
TEAM NOTES
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
UP NEXT
TEXAS A&M HEAD COACH BILLY KENNEDY
Opening Statement…
"Excited to be 11-1 and figure out another way to win another game. I want to apologize to the 12th Man, our fans, for the issue of not having three guys today. That's not reflective of who I am, who their families are, or who they are. They are young kids, and they make choices and we will try to develop them the right way and hold them to the standards of Texas A&M. That's not what Texas A&M is all about. That's all I'm going to say about that."
On the team responding to lineup change…
"They reacted like champions. I'm really proud of the guys who came in and played and trained themselves the right way to do things, everyday they prepare themselves. Chris Collins, Savion Flagg, Jay Jay Chandler and the other guys who played tonight gave us some good minutes. I was really proud of the young guys for stepping up and seizing the opportunity."
On hitting free throws...
"That was huge to go 28-of-33 from the line. We've been a good free throw shooting team with Duane Wilson and Tyler Davis and really all of our guys. 85 percent is going to win you a lot of games. We got to the line. We drove the ball. We only shot 10 threes the whole game, which is part of what we needed to do against this team. The guys we played tonight, their strength is getting paint touches, and I thought we did a good job getting to the free throw line."
TEXAS A&M JUNIOR CENTER TYLER DAVIS
On their free throws…
"Coach puts an emphasis on free throws. We shoot them throughout practice. We know how important they are, and they made a difference in the game today. The other team missed some, and we capitalized on ours. Knocking down 28-of-33, that's big time."
On teammate suspensions…
"We've talked about it as a team. It is something that the coaches are handling. As a team, we are coming together and staying positive about it. We are just worried about what is coming up. We will handle it in the locker room. They will definitely hear it as a team collectively. We are going to come together. Those are our teammates. Those are our brothers, so they'll hear from us for sure."
TEXAS A&M SENIOR GUARD DUANE WILSON
On getting to the glass…
"That was one of our key points offensively, the open drive and ball movement. I just felt like the whole game I just let it kind of come to me, that's when things start opening up. When you have a big like Tyler (Davis) and Rob (Williams), you have to make the decision whether you're going to stop the point guard or stop the big from dropping off and getting a dunk. Sometimes they were sticking with Tyler and Rob so that they couldn't get the dunk, so it was easy to get layups and get to the paint."
On teammate suspensions…
"We will handle it in the locker room. Everybody makes mistakes, and nobody is perfect. We have all made mistakes in our life before, so we won't look at those guys different. We are just ready to get those guys back on a floor so we can have a full team."
BUFFALO HEAD COACH NATE OATS
Opening Statement...
"That's a good team. I know they suspended three guys, but they still have some players out there on the floor. It is just so hard to score at the rim on them. We were 9-of-30 from (2-point range). We pretty much had to make a bunch of threes, and your legs get tired late in the game. It makes it a little bit tougher on you. We hung in there for a little while. On the glass, they are just big. That goes with finishing in the lane. Their defense is big too. They outrebounded us by ten. They turned that game around pretty quick. It's a good team. Obviously, they are better with (DJ) Hogg playing because he stretches the floor a little better. We were able to pack it in a little tighter on them, but it is still a tough cover with all of those bigs in there."
On Billy Kennedy...
"He is an unbelievable guy. I'm sure you all know that, but there is little stuff that he does behind the scenes with other coaches. I have tons of respect for Billy. I am happy that they are ranked where they are at because he is such a good dude. He would never tell you guys, but being the recipient of some of the good works that he does I figured I would let you guys know. You have a great one down here."
A&M announced before the game that junior guard D.J. Hogg, the team's leading scorer at 14.6 points per game, was suspended for three games for a violation of university policy. In addition, freshman guards J.J. Caldwell and T.J. Starks missed the game because of violations of team rules.
The thin Aggies also are missing starting guard Admon Gilder with an injured knee at least through early in Southeastern Conference play.
SEC play starts on Dec. 30 as A&M (11-1) plays at Alabama, and Hogg is scheduled to miss that game along with the conference home opener against Florida on Jan. 2.
Forward Robert Williams returned Thursday night after missing two games because of a concussion.
The Aggies did what they needed to do for the victory over the Bulls (7-5).
The Aggies led 60-58 with 6:36 remaining when Wilson hit a layup. Williams followed with a block on the other end, and Tonny Trocha-Morelos was fouled on an ensuing A&M fast break. Trocha-Morelos made the layup and resulting free throw, and within the span of less than a minute the Aggies led 65-58.
The Aggies got a scare a couple of minutes later when Williams missed a dunk on a fast break and landed awkwardly. He limped off the court with 4:24 remaining and didn't return, but appeared to be OK afterward.
Next stop, @sec play#DoMore #12thMan pic.twitter.com/iS7zVS5rF8
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) December 22, 2017
Rob doing Rob things. ??????@rob_williamsIII starts the break, @SwaggyDu1 & TD finish it.#DoMore #12thMan pic.twitter.com/Uz4kl4OTgB
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) December 22, 2017
Swat team. @tonny10dt registers 7?? blocks on the night. 3rd most in a game in school history.#DoMore #12thMan pic.twitter.com/Cg3dX8LJqS
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) December 22, 2017
Run the floor, reward the man!
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) December 22, 2017
Big night from TD:
?? 1,000+ Career Points
?? 3rd straight dbl-dbl
?? 100% at the FT line#DoMore #12thMan pic.twitter.com/9wBfBWNP0L
Postgame Notes
RECORDS / SERIES NOTES
- Texas A&M improved to 11-1 on the season following an 89-73 victory over Buffalo on Thursday night inside Reed Arena.
- The all-time series between the schools now stands at 2-0 in favor of the Aggies.
TEAM NOTES
- Texas A&M placed five players in double-figure scoring for the third time this season as all seven of the Aggies to see action scored in the contest … it also marked seventh time A&M has placed at least four players in double-figure scoring this season.
- A&M owned a dominating 50-14 edge for points in the paint while holding a 44-34 rebounding edge … the Aggies have not been outrebounded in a game this season.
- Texas A&M used the starting lineup combination of Duane Wilson, Jay Jay Chandler, Savion Flagg, Tonny Trocha-Morelos and Tyler Davis for the second time this season (2-0).
- Prior to the start of the game, Texas A&M announced the suspensions of DJ Hogg (3 games), JJ Caldwell (1 game) and TJ Starks (1 game).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Rookie Savion Flagg drew his second career start and fell just short of his second straight double-double outing … the Alvin, Texas, native finished with a career-high 21 points to go along with nine rebounds … Flagg is averaging 16.5 points, 9.5 rebound and 30 minutes played during the last two games.
- Graduate transfer Duane Wilson notched his first career double-double with a game-high 23-point, 11-assist outing … Wilson's points/assists double-double is only the second of the sort since 2010 (joining Caruso vs Vanderbilt Jan. 31, 2015 – 14 points / 10 assists) as well as the first double-digit assist game since Tonny Trocha-Morelos collected 10 against Kentucky on March 4, 2017.
- Junior Tyler Davis hit a career milestone as he became Texas A&M's 36th member of the 1,000-point club while notching his 10th career and third straight double-double.
- Senior Tonny Trocha-Morelos posted a career-high seven blocked shots, the third most in a game in school history … the Colombia native finished with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
- Freshman Jay Jay Chandler drew his second career start, tying his career-best with 10 points.
- Aggie head coach Billy Kennedy improved to 126-86 during his seven-year tenure at Texas A&M and 337-265 in 20 seasons as a head coach.
UP NEXT
- The Aggies begin the gauntlet of Southeastern Conference on Dec. 30 when they visit Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa to play Alabama ... the game is slated for a 5 p.m. (CT) tip off and will be televised on ESPN2.
Postgame Quotes
"Coach has prepared us for everything."
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) December 22, 2017
-@__hvmble on the team's effort a few men down on Thursday. #DoMore #12thMan pic.twitter.com/Uk4sP74fbC
.@SwaggyDu1 credits the play of @__hvmble @chriscollins620 @_JayChandler in Thursday's win.#DoMore #12thMan pic.twitter.com/3X1Sy7p8hU
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) December 22, 2017
TEXAS A&M HEAD COACH BILLY KENNEDY
Opening Statement…
"Excited to be 11-1 and figure out another way to win another game. I want to apologize to the 12th Man, our fans, for the issue of not having three guys today. That's not reflective of who I am, who their families are, or who they are. They are young kids, and they make choices and we will try to develop them the right way and hold them to the standards of Texas A&M. That's not what Texas A&M is all about. That's all I'm going to say about that."
On the team responding to lineup change…
"They reacted like champions. I'm really proud of the guys who came in and played and trained themselves the right way to do things, everyday they prepare themselves. Chris Collins, Savion Flagg, Jay Jay Chandler and the other guys who played tonight gave us some good minutes. I was really proud of the young guys for stepping up and seizing the opportunity."
On hitting free throws...
"That was huge to go 28-of-33 from the line. We've been a good free throw shooting team with Duane Wilson and Tyler Davis and really all of our guys. 85 percent is going to win you a lot of games. We got to the line. We drove the ball. We only shot 10 threes the whole game, which is part of what we needed to do against this team. The guys we played tonight, their strength is getting paint touches, and I thought we did a good job getting to the free throw line."
TEXAS A&M JUNIOR CENTER TYLER DAVIS
On their free throws…
"Coach puts an emphasis on free throws. We shoot them throughout practice. We know how important they are, and they made a difference in the game today. The other team missed some, and we capitalized on ours. Knocking down 28-of-33, that's big time."
On teammate suspensions…
"We've talked about it as a team. It is something that the coaches are handling. As a team, we are coming together and staying positive about it. We are just worried about what is coming up. We will handle it in the locker room. They will definitely hear it as a team collectively. We are going to come together. Those are our teammates. Those are our brothers, so they'll hear from us for sure."
TEXAS A&M SENIOR GUARD DUANE WILSON
On getting to the glass…
"That was one of our key points offensively, the open drive and ball movement. I just felt like the whole game I just let it kind of come to me, that's when things start opening up. When you have a big like Tyler (Davis) and Rob (Williams), you have to make the decision whether you're going to stop the point guard or stop the big from dropping off and getting a dunk. Sometimes they were sticking with Tyler and Rob so that they couldn't get the dunk, so it was easy to get layups and get to the paint."
On teammate suspensions…
"We will handle it in the locker room. Everybody makes mistakes, and nobody is perfect. We have all made mistakes in our life before, so we won't look at those guys different. We are just ready to get those guys back on a floor so we can have a full team."
BUFFALO HEAD COACH NATE OATS
Opening Statement...
"That's a good team. I know they suspended three guys, but they still have some players out there on the floor. It is just so hard to score at the rim on them. We were 9-of-30 from (2-point range). We pretty much had to make a bunch of threes, and your legs get tired late in the game. It makes it a little bit tougher on you. We hung in there for a little while. On the glass, they are just big. That goes with finishing in the lane. Their defense is big too. They outrebounded us by ten. They turned that game around pretty quick. It's a good team. Obviously, they are better with (DJ) Hogg playing because he stretches the floor a little better. We were able to pack it in a little tighter on them, but it is still a tough cover with all of those bigs in there."
On Billy Kennedy...
"He is an unbelievable guy. I'm sure you all know that, but there is little stuff that he does behind the scenes with other coaches. I have tons of respect for Billy. I am happy that they are ranked where they are at because he is such a good dude. He would never tell you guys, but being the recipient of some of the good works that he does I figured I would let you guys know. You have a great one down here."
Team Stats
UB
TAMU
FG%
.377
.509
3FG%
.436
.300
FT%
.364
.848
RB
34
44
TO
18
18
STL
5
7
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
9
Pts
21
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
7
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's BasketballG/F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
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