Aggies Top Southeastern Louisiana, 69-52

Tuesday, December 15

Bryan-College Station

6:00 PM

Texas A&M

4-1,0-0SEC

Southeastern Louisiana

1-6,0-0Southland

Southeastern La.

Texas A&M

Photo by: Texas A&M Athletics

Dec 15, 2020 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box: Texas A&M 69, Southeastern Louisiana 52 Photo Gallery

By: Evan Roberts, Texas A&M Athletics Communications

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -- Emanuel Miller scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Texas A&M beat Southeastern Louisiana 69-52 on Tuesday night.

Miller finished 8-for-11 shooting and the Aggies (4-1) finished 25-for-47 (53%) shooting. Andre Gordon scored 10 for Texas A&M and eight of the 10 Aggies that played entered the scoring column.

Miller hit a jump shot, Savion Flagg made a 3-pointer, Gordon made 1 of 2 foul shots and Texas A&M led 17-8 with 9:47 before halftime.

Later, Quenton Jackson made back-to-back layups and Gordon made a basket for a 25-10 lead. Texas A&M built a 31-19 lead by intermission and were never threatened in the second half.

The Aggies never trailed.

Keon Clergeot scored 14 points for Southeastern Louisiana (1-6) and Nick Caldwell scored 11. Southeastern Louisiana shot 37% (17 for 46).

Southeastern Louisiana was originally scheduled to play its first 11 games on the road. It's Dec. 12 matchup against Missouri State was canceled due to COVID-19.

The Lions' scheduled home opener is Jan. 2 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Texas A&M Men's Basketball Postgame Notes
Texas A&M 69, Southeastern Louisiana 52
Reed Arena (Bryan-College Station, Texas)

RECORDS & SERIES NOTES

Texas A&M defeated Southeastern Louisiana, 69-52, Tuesday night at Reed Arena.
The Aggies lead the series all-time 5-0.

TEAM NOTES

The Aggies shot 57.1% (12-of-21) in the opening stanza, marking the best shooting performance in a half this season.
A&M held Southeastern Louisiana to 19 points in the first half, the lowest opponent scoring total in a half this season.
In the paint, Texas A&M outscored Southeastern Louisiana, 40-15.
The Maroon & White held the lead for the entire 40 minutes of play.

Texas A&M used the starting lineup combination of Jonathan Aku, LaDamien Bradford, Savion Flagg, Andre Gordon and Emanuel Miller (1-0) for the first time this season.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

Emanuel Miller lead the Aggies with 20 points and 10 rebounds, recording his third double-double with 20-or-more points in the last four games. Miller also dished out a season-high three assists.
Andre Gordon scored 10 points, his third game this season and eighth of his career with 10-or-more points.
Kevin Marfo put up a season-high eight points, along with seven rebounds.
Jaxson Robinson scored his first career points off a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
LaDamien Bradford recorded his first collegiate start.
Buzz Williams is 20-15 in his career at Texas A&M and 273-170 in his 14 seasons as a head coach.

UP NEXT
Texas A&M hosts Wofford on Monday, December 21 at Reed Arena at 12 p.m. on SEC Network.

Texas A&M Quotes
Head Coach Buzz Williams

On the team's improvement since the TCU game…
"I'm pleased with our response. We changed up what we did on Sunday, Monday and shootaround today. We changed up what we usually do pregame. Our guys' response to all those changes were good, and I think that there was evidence of steps forward. There's still plenty of room for growth, but we did take steps forward, particularly after a really bad showing on Saturday afternoon."

On improving on the team's turnover issues…
"It helps, when you're passing the ball all over the gym like it doesn't matter who you are, or your age, or where you're from, or what your nickname is; don't turn it over. That is an issue. We turned it over less today, and some of our turnovers tonight were because we have made it a priority to play much more unselfish basketball. I thought a lot of times tonight, guys were turning down shots when they knew it was their turn to shoot, because they were over-the-top protective of 'we're going to be unselfish.' So, some of those good shots turned into average shots and turnovers. I knew the intent of their heart was right relative to what we were trying to do. We are trying to collect minutes from anybody who won't turn it over."

On Jaxson Robinson's performance…
"He's a really good kid. He just turned 18 a couple of weeks ago. He had his best two practices on Sunday and Monday. No matter what your talent level is, once you get onto a college campus the intensity is different than what you think, no matter how much time you've spent around the game. The workload on a daily basis is much more than has ever been required. Just talking about those two things, that's unique regardless of your talent level and that takes time. Players like Jax (Jaxson Robinson) are learning just how important practice is, and that in the end is what you want."

Sophomore Forward Emanuel Miller

On the focus moving into today's game…
"The game in Fort Worth is a game we can't get back. I've said that before, we can't get that one back. The future is now, and we wanted to emphasize each practice following that game. I think the purity of our heart shows how much each player cares for this program. You can see how the intensity level changed and how each player plays for one another. I believe that when you have a program like this, it's a scary sight."

On the low amount of turnovers tonight …
"That helps us a lot. When we limit our turnovers, it gives us another chance to get a shot at the rim. Each possession matters within a game. Getting the ball to the rim and having our guys execute our principles is huge. Moving into conference games, that is what we will need. We'll have to limit our turnovers while executing on offense."

On LaDamien "Pop" Bradford…
"He has shown me, the players and this program how much he cares for it. At the start of the season, he might have not been getting the minutes he was needing but is the definition of a guy who is going to be ready. He is going to stay ready until his name is called. LaDamien, Pop is what we call him, came in and played as he had been playing in practice. I am proud of Pop and know he has a bright future ahead of him."

On establishing points in the paint…
"It is always an emphasis to get the opposing team in foul trouble. When we get them in that situation, it allows us to play our offense much easier. They then have to playback and less aggressive. Our bread and butter are when we are aggressive which allows us to get to the bonus early and the foul line. Getting fouled and executing is what makes us great."

Sophomore Guard Andre Gordon

On the steps taken following Saturday's loss to TCU...
"I think every team learns from a past loss. Especially a game you lose by a big margin. We focused on ourselves, not our opponent. We focus on each individual, whether that be on the players, coaching staff, managers or treatment. I think we locked in on what was needed to help our program succeed. Tonight, we took a step in that direction. We got a good win and had a lot of players contribute to this win."

On being a team player…
"If I score, I score and if I don't, then I don't. I am a team player and just want to get my guys involved. I love the game of basketball and want to win. I want zero turnovers every game. That is my bread and butter. I don't want to allow the opposing team any transition points or get anyone out of position. We want to get a shot up every time and that is what a point guard is supposed to do. I did a little better today and overall better than I was last season. I personally am just going to keep grinding to allow myself to not turn the ball over."

On the team's energy tonight and getting ready for conference play…
"I think the energy was top notch tonight. Tonight's was way better than when we played TCU. As I said, it was an us thing, not about who and where we were playing. I think we prepared well for this game. This next game that we play is going to help us out before conference play. I've heard they are a pretty decent non-conference game to have this year. Again, we are going to focus on our game plan and who we are. We want to allow ourselves to get better each day, physically and mentally."