Texas A&M
7-8, 1-3SEC
Auburn
13-3, 2-1SEC
A&M Falls To No. 14 Auburn
Jan 16, 2019 | Men's Basketball
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -- Bryce Brown scored all but two of his 22 points in the first half and No. 14 Auburn routed Texas A&M 85-66 on Wednesday night.
The Tigers (13-3, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) won on the road for the first time in league play this season. They dominated the Aggies (7-8, 1-3) from the start and never looked back.
Brown scored 18 consecutive points for the Tigers -- and outscored the Aggies 18-10 by himself during that span -- late in the first half to stake Auburn to a double-digit lead it didn't relinquish. Brown began the stretch with a three-point play after he was fouled in the lane on a layup, and his next 15 points came on 3-point shots.
Jared Harper had 17 points, six assists, three steals and three rebounds for Auburn. Anfernee McLemore added 13 points and six rebounds off the bench, and Chuma Okeke had 10 points and seven rebounds. Austin Wiley grabbed 12 boards.
Auburn overwhelmed Texas A&M in second-chance points (20-8), points off turnovers (18-10), offensive rebounds (20-7) and bench points (27-5).
Savion Flagg and Wendell Mitchell each had 22 points to lead the Aggies.
Texas A&M Basketball Postgame Notes
No. 14 Auburn 85, Texas A&M 66
Reed Arena (College Station, Texas)
ABOUT THE GAME
- The Texas A&M men's basketball team now sits at 7-8 on the season, 1-3 in SEC play after falling to Auburn Wednesday night.
- The Aggies struggled to settle in, plagued by turnovers in the opening minutes.
- A&M kept it close for much of the first half, until the Tigers used a 14-3 run to take the difference from two possessions to double figures.
- The Aggies scored the first seven points of the second half to cut it to nine points, but another big Auburn run created a lead too big to overcome.
- A&M saw two players score 20 points in the same game for the third time this season and the second time in league play (Arkansas).
- The Aggies stuck with the same starting lineup of Jay Jay Chandler, Wendell Mitchell, TJ Starks, Savion Flagg, and Christian Mekowulu for the third time this season (1-2).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Sophomore Savion Flagg had a strong first half with 13 points in the opening 20 minutes. He recorded his fourth 20-point game of the season, knocking down a career-high four threes to help him finish with 22 points.
- Junior Wendell Mitchell scored in double figures for the fourth time in the last five games, also putting up 22 points, going 9-for-10 from the free throw line.
- Junior Josh Nebo blocked four shots in the game, making it back-to-back games with the total.
- Billy Kennedy is now 144-106 in his eight-year tenure at Texas A&M and 355-285 in his 21 seasons as a head coach.
UP NEXT
The Aggies remain at home through the weekend to host Missouri on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here.
Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Billy Kennedy
Opening statement…
"We got beat by a very good basketball team, I thought that their defensive pressure and our inability to take care of the ball in the beginning of the game. It was critical, we did a poor job on the glass. [Jared] Harper and [Bryce] Brown dictated that game with their defensive pressure and their ability to make tough shots and open shots was the biggest difference in the game."
On Auburn's style of play…
"Their style of play was obviously different, they picked up full court and they pressured us and they denied ball reversals. We thought at times we were the Harlem Globetrotters trying to dribble, instead of making hard cuts and guys getting open and passing the ball. I thought we got sloppy. When you don't shoot the ball well as a team, teams load up and they get into gaps, so it's hard to drive through a couple people."
On Auburn's defense…
"Their ball pressure, they pressured the ball and instead of us being strong with the ball, we tried to break down the defense by playing one-on-one. We had seven assists and that's what happens when you go one-on-one against pressure."
Sophomore Guard/Forward Savion Flagg
On what to take from this game…
"You let it go because of how bad it was, but you also take away the things you did well. With the bad things, you know what you need to improve on next game."
Junior Guard Wendell Mitchell
On the start of the game…
"I think we just got sped up at the beginning, we allowed them to control the tempo. They got at us pretty quick, and we just fell off towards the end of the first half. We had a really bad first half, honestly. I just feel like a lot of things were not going our way."
On controlling things not going their way…
"Credit to Auburn. They knew some of our stuff, they scouted us pretty good, obviously. I just felt like our defense was not holding up very much. They were making three's, making shots, they had like seven three's in the first half."
