Texas A&M
1-4
Washington
4-1
Strong First Half Not Enough For Aggies Against Washington
Nov 21, 2018 | Men's Basketball
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Trailing by as many as 13 in the first half, Washington (4-1) found its shooting touch in the second half and its zone defense started to cause problems for the Aggies. The Huskies shot 50-percent in the second half and held Texas A&M to just three made baskets over the final 11 minutes. Texas A&M led 55-48 after Christian Mekowulu's dunk, but the Aggies scored just 11 points the rest of the way.
The Huskies fouled Jay Jay Chandler with 3.3 seconds remaining. He made the first free throw, intentionally missed the second but a lane violation by Chandler gave possession to Washington. Matisse Thybulle was fouled and hit both free throws to seal the victory.
Chandler led Texas A&M (1-4) with 21 points and TJ Starks added 17. The Aggies led by as many as 13 in the first half, their guards able to penetrate Washington's zone defense and either score at the rim or find open shooters. But those lanes closed in the second half and Washington was better offensively.
"We really struggled guarding Dickerson and once we missed some easy shots at the free-throw line we got a little bit tighter in our shot selection," Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said.
Washington shot a putrid 23-percent in the first half but were still within five at the break after Dominic Green's corner 3-pointer at the buzzer. Its big rally started after Mekowulu's dunk, with Green banking in a 3-pointer to begin a 11-0 run Dickerson's three-point play gave Washington its first lead at 56-55 and David Crisp followed with a 3-pointer.
But the final minutes became a challenge for the Huskies. Washington was 8-of-15 on free throws over the final six minutes. Washington extended its lead to 66-62 after Nowell's free throw and Thybulle made a huge defensive play off a Washington turnover, chasing down Chandler's layup attempt, blocking the shot off Chandler and out of bounds to the Huskies. The sequence and turnover forced by Thybulle proved critical in the Huskies holding on.
Texas A&M Basketball Postgame Notes
Washington 71, Texas A&M 67
Nov. 20, 2018 | Vancouver Convention Centre (Vancouver, B.C.)
ABOUT THE GAME
- Texas A&M moved to 1-4 on the season as it were unable to get by Washington Tuesday night, falling 71-64.
- The Aggies held a 38-33 lead at the break, forcing the Huskies to shoot just 23-percent from the field in the opening period.
- A&M led by as many as 13 in the first half, but a late steady push by the Huskies and a three at the halftime buzzer cut the difference to two possessions.
- Washington took its first lead of the night with just over nine minutes remaining and never trailed again.
TEAM NOTES
- Despite the early foul trouble down low, the Aggies outscored Washington 34-28 in the paint.
- Texas A&M used the starting lineup combination of Jay Jay Chandler, Savion Flagg, TJ Starks, Brandon Mahan and Christian Mekowulu for the third time this season. The Aggies have a 0-3 record with this lineup.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- It was a career night for sophomore Jay Jay Chandler, who put up 13 of his team-best 21 points first half. He also added a career-high eight rebounds, disrupting Washington on the defensive end the entire night.
- Sophomore TJ Starks added a season-best 17 points in the game.
- Billy Kennedy is now 138-102 in his eight-year tenure at Texas A&M, 349-281 in his 21 seasons as a head coach.
UP NEXT
- The Aggies will return home to Reed Arena after three games on the road to host South Alabama on Friday, Nov. 23 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available here.
