Texas A&M
1-0
Savannah State
0-1
Men's Basketball Opens Season with 98-83 Victory
Nov 07, 2018 | Men's Basketball
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -- Sophomore forward Savion Flagg scored 24 points and six Texas A&M players scored at least nine points as the Aggies defeated Savannah State 98-83 on Wednesday night.
A&M overwhelmed SSU in points in the paint (58-18), rebounds (68-43), second-chance points (31-7) and blocks (8-1).
The Aggies (1-0) played without starting guards Admon Gilder (hamstring, knee) and Wendell Mitchell (tendinitis), but the injuries are not expected to be serious. Sophomore guard T.J. Starks added 16 points for the Aggies, and freshman guard Collins Joseph led the way for the Tigers (0-1) with 20 points.
Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy has pledged the Aggies will get up and down the floor this season more than they have in years past, with big men Robert Williams and Tyler Davis having turned pro, and the young squad did exactly that in blasting to a 53-37 halftime lead.
Both teams were sloppy throughout, with A&M finishing with 24 turnovers and SSU 20. Starks finished with nine turnovers, more than twice as many as any of his teammates.
Texas A&M Basketball Postgame Notes
Texas A&M 98, Savannah State 83
Nov. 7, 2018 | Reed Arena (College Station Texas)
RECORDS & SERIES NOTES
- Texas A&M improved to 1-0 on Wednesday night at Reed Arena, defeating Savannah State 98-83 during the Aggies' home opener.
- The victory marked the 18th consecutive season-opening win for the Aggies.
TEAM NOTES
- Texas A&M dominated Savannah State in several categories, including a 58-18 edge in the paint, 68-43 in total rebounding, 31-7 in second-chance points and 8-1 in blocks.
- The Aggies opened the game with a 7-0 run en-route to a 53-37 advantage at the half. A&M went 20-for-43 (46.5%) from the floor in the opening stanza, while out-rebounding Savannah State 36-24 in the first 20 minutes.
- After the break, the Aggies shot an unprecedented 15-for-19 on two-point attempts, finishing the night at 29-for-43 inside the arc.
- Texas A&M matched a program-high 38 three-point attempts in a game, equaling the 38 attempts against the Tigers in the 2017 matchup between the two teams. The Tigers' 54 attempts were the most by an A&M opponent in program history, topping the 40 attempts by Savannah State and West Virginia against the Aggies in 2017.
- Texas A&M used the starting lineup combination of TJ Starks, Chris Collins, Jay Jay Chandler, Savion Flagg and Christian Mekowulu for the first time this season (1-0).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Sophomore Savion Flagg recorded his second career double-double, finishing with career-highs of 24 points and 16 rebounds in 27 minutes of action. Entering the season, Flagg was the only Aggie with a double-double in his career.
- Junior Josh Nebo was a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor, finishing with 10 points in his first appearance for the Aggies. The Houston, Texas native sat out last season after transferring from St. Francis.
- Graduate transfer Christian Mekowulu opened the night with nine rebounds in first half, finishing with 14 boards to go along with nine points.
- Senior Chris Collins filled up the stat sheet for the Aggies, ending the night with seven points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals in 30 minutes of action.
- Freshman John Walker III recorded 10 points on the night in his first appearance after redshirting last season.
- A total of five Aggies made their debut in the opener, including Brandon Mahan, Christian Mekowulu, John Walker III, Josh Nebo and Zach Walker.
- Billy Kennedy is now 138-98 during his eight-year tenure at Texas A&M and 349-277 in 21 seasons as a head coach.
UP NEXT
- The Aggies remain in the friendly confines of Reed Arena Friday evening at 8:30 p.m., taking on UC Irvine, before embarking on an extended road trip. The Maroon & White take to the West Coast as they face off against No. 3 Gonzaga on Nov. 15, before taking a trip north of the border for the Vancouver Showcase. In Canada, Texas A&M will play Minnesota and Washington at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
POSTGAME QUOTES
Texas A&M Head Coach Billy Kennedy
Opening Statement…
"It is good to get our first game under our belt. I thought we did some good things especially in the first half, defensively and offensively. We just didn't shoot the ball as well in the first half. Defensively I thought we were undisciplined. We have to be a lot more disciplined and play the way we know how to."
On the paly of Savion Flagg…
"Savion had a really good game and was rebounding on both ends of the floor. He made some great plays and that is what we are going to have to have from him every night."
On the turnovers…
"Some of the turnovers were due to the style that Savannah State plays and then it was just bad decisions. TJ Starks can't have nine turnovers and he was telling me that walking down the hallways. He knows he can't give the ball up that much. We can't have 24 turnovers."
Sophomore Guard/ Forward Savion Flagg
On how he felt about his performance in the first game of the year…
"I give a lot of credit to my teammates getting me open and believing in me, and Coach Kennedy putting me in the right spot and believing in me. My guys just relying on me and I rely on them."
On the team having 58 points in the paint and comparing this team to last year's team...
"[Josh] Nebo ran the court really well as a big force on the inside. The presence on the board and presence in the paint is kind of similar [to last year], they're just a lot faster getting up and down the court. No disrespect to Tyler [Davis] and all of them."
On showing his versatility…
"I don't feel like I tried to show anything; I just went out there and played my game. I didn't go out there just trying to show everybody what I'm capable of, but I went out there battling for my teammates and the guys around me. I know they rely on me and I rely on them, so I just go out there to play my hardest in the position they put me in I just do my best at it."
Senior Forward Christian Mekowulu
On his effort on the offensive boards…
"Coach has been trying to get me to rebound and I felt like I came out there today and showed him I could rebound. My goal for myself was to rebound, so I came out from the start and went to the offensive glass."
On playing his first game in a Texas A&M uniform…
"It's fun and I'm excited to be here. We have a great group of guys that I'm excited to play with. I'm looking forward to a great season."
Savannah State Head Coach Horace Broadnax
On if Texas A&M looks like a different team from the one last year…
"Coach Kennedy is doing the same thing as me. I have seven new kids and he has a lot of new kids. This is a lot of first Division I basketball for a lot of his guys and he has junior college kids. They will get even better as the season progresses. That is a lot to replace from what he had last year, so that will be a little rebuild. He will keep working with them and they killed us in the paint."
On what players draw from a game like this…
"We are headed to Georgia and hopefully it is just an opportunity to get the jitters out. I know we couldn't keep them off the glass with their size, strength and skill set, but I think we could have cut some points off in the paint and on turnovers."
Just getting started.
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) November 8, 2018
Ags start the game on a 7-0 run.
9-6 Ags | 15:53 1st#ConfettiDreams #GigEm pic.twitter.com/ScNTpA0QDJ
Share the ball, make a play ??
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) November 8, 2018
7 assists on our first 9 made FG's
Ags lead 22-16 | 11:40 1st#ConfettiDreams #GigEm pic.twitter.com/ZQKtISe1Mm
20 down, 20 more in the opener.
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) November 8, 2018
Ags lead 53-37 at the break.
Stat Leaders:
?? Pts: @Joshnebo/@jayy_trey - 10
?? Rebs: @Mekowulu21 - 9
?? Asts: @chriscollins620 - 4#ConfettiDreams #GigEm pic.twitter.com/huva7n86uR
Flying high, getting buckets.
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) November 8, 2018
Ags have a little extra bounce tonight ??
69-54 | 11:32 2nd#ConfettiDreams #GigEm pic.twitter.com/xHGpU39TlB
From waaaay downtown ?? #SCtop10
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) November 8, 2018
Thanks to @MountainDew, Hunter Prabhu is going home with $10,000??#GigEm pic.twitter.com/2BJcBLzOTY
Grinding it out.
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) November 8, 2018
Outscoring the Tigers in the paint 42-14 so far in Reed.
72-60 | 8:09 2nd#ConfettiDreams #GigEm pic.twitter.com/Af06MrY4El
Time to finish strong.
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) November 8, 2018
Couple stops ?? couple buckets.
85-68 good guys | 3:58 2nd#ConfettiDreams #GigEm pic.twitter.com/AbmlPeR4yi
All about that W ??
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) November 8, 2018
Ags claim their 18th consecutive season opener! Final: 98-83
Back in action Fri. night vs UC Irvine ??#ConfettiDreams #GigEm pic.twitter.com/Zh1gcOaIo4
Stop, hammer time ????#ConfettiDreams #GigEm pic.twitter.com/pY8oXtAGmD
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) November 8, 2018
