Texas A&M
4-4
Oregon State
6-3
Aggies Edge Out Oregon State Behind Starks' Strong Second Half
Dec 16, 2018 | Men's Basketball
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- TJ Starks had 18 points and eight assists and Texas A&M won their third straight game with a 67-64 victory over Oregon State at the Dam City Classic on Saturday night.
Brandon Mahan, Wendell Mitchell and John Walker III each added 10 points for the Aggies (4-4), who hadn't played for nearly two weeks because of a cancelled game.
Ethan Thompson had 20 points for the Beavers (6-3), who dropped their second straight game. Tres Tinkle added 17.
After a back-and-forth second half, Starks hit a 3-pointer that gave the Aggies a 63-57 lead with just over four minutes left. Savion Flagg added a layup to extend the lead.
Stephen Thompson Jr. made a layup to pull the Beavers within 65-62 with 34.6 seconds left. Mitchell missed the first of two free throws on the other end before Alfred Hollins did the same for Oregon State to make it 66-63.
Oregon State couldn't score in a scramble under the basket and ultimately couldn't catch up to the Aggies.
It was the fourth Dam City Classic showcase at Portland's Moda Center, home of the NBA's Trail Blazers.
The Aggies were coming off an 80-59 victory over Northwestern State on Dec. 3. Texas A&M had a game against Boston College scheduled for Dec. 8 but the Eagles ultimately said they could not get to the game because of travel delays caused by poor weather in College Station.
"We are perplexed by this decision and disappointed for our student-athletes and fans," Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said in a statement at the time.
Texas A&M jumped in front 22-16 early after back-to-back 3-pointers from Mitchell. The Beavers responded with a 7-2 run to get within 24-23, capped by Tinkle's layup.
Texas A&M led 33-30 at the half, led by Mahan with eight points.
Ethan Thompson, who had averaged 20.7 points for the Beavers over the previous three games, had 10 points at the break. Kylor Kelley had two blocks for Oregon State in the first half for his 10th straight game with multiple blocks, tying an Oregon State record.
Tinkle and Ethan Thompson hit consecutive 3-pointers to pull Oregon State ahead 36-35 early in the second half.
Mahan's fast-break dunk give the Aggies a 43-40 lead, but Stephen Thompson hit a 3-pointer to tie it. The teams wrestled for the lead much of the rest of the way until Starks' 3-pointer.
The Beavers were without senior center Gligorije Rakocevic for the third straight game because of a stress fracture in his foot. There is no timetable for his return.
Texas A&M Basketball Postgame Notes
Texas A&M 67, Oregon State 64
Moda Center (Portland, Oregon)
ABOUT THE GAME
- Texas A&M improved to 4-4 on the season with a dramatic 67-64 win over Oregon State in Portland.
- The Aggies led for 26 minutes in the game, which saw 12 ties and 15 lead changes.
- Both teams started slow, combining for seven turnovers in the first four minutes, but the Aggies found their rhythm following the first media timeout of the game. They used an 11-5 run between medias to take the lead.
- Texas A&M maintained the advantage for nearly the remainder of the first half, trailing by one for 1:11 late in the opening period and taking a 33-30 lead into the break.
- Play remained close in the second half, but the Aggies used a 9-0 run with just over five minutes remaining to position themselves for victory.
- The victory is the first in A&M history against the Beavers through three all-time meetings.
TEAM NOTES
- Four players finished scoring in double figures for the second time this season.
- Texas A&M used the starting lineup combination of TJ Starks, Jay Jay Chandler, Savion Flagg, Brandon Mahan and Christian Mekowulu for the sixth time this season (3-3).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Sophomore TJ Starks led the way for the Aggies with a season-best 18 points, notching his sixth straight game in double figures, while matching his career high in assists with eight.
- Sophomore transfer Brandon Mahan recorded his second double-digit scoring game of the year, adding 10 on the night.
- Redshirt freshman John Walker III reached double figures in scoring for the fourth time this season, putting up 10 against the Beavers.
- Sophomore Savion Flagg had another balanced effort, finishing with seven points, eight boards and three assists, drawing four fouls on the defensive end.
- Graduate transfer Christian Mekowulu had a strong defensive effort, drawing three offensive fouls in the game.
- Billy Kennedy is now 141-102 in his eight-year tenure at Texas A&M and 352-281 in his 21 seasons as a head coach.
UP NEXT
The Aggies will return to Reed Arena to host Valpo on Wednesday, Dec. 19. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. The game is part of the annual Holiday Hoops promotion, which features general admission tickets for $5 for adults and $3 for youth, available here.
POST GAME QUOTES
Head Coach Billy Kennedy
Opening statement …
This was a good win for us, I thought we started the game with the right mentality defensively. Offensively we struggled early, we turned the ball over. I have to give Oregon State credit for their zone, they were able to surprise us.
On the team's success beyond the arc …
Having Wendell Mitchell, who we haven't had for much of the season, hit three threes was big. We were able to hit five threes in the first half and that gave us some confidence.
On the turning point in the victory…
"We got a couple stops and TJ Starks hit that three in transition. It was a three-point game, we kept going back-and-forth but we made it an eight-point lead going down the stretch and that difference is one of the reason why we won, because we made too many mistakes down the stretch."
On what made TJ Starks effective …
"When he's passing and making plays for other people he's really effective. In the second half he scored a little bit more."
