BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – The Texas A&M men's basketball team used a barrage of long-range buckets to secure a 96-85 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats Tuesday evening inside Reed Arena.
The Aggies (20-10, 10-7 SEC) hit 13-of-28 (46.4%) from 3-point range, including 7-of-11 (63.6%) in the second half to topple the Wildcats.
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Texas A&M had five players reach double digits in scoring, including three bench players. The reserves accounted for 57 points.
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Rylan Griffen was the top scorer, coming off the pine to score 21 on 7-of-12 (58.3%) from the field, including 4-of-8 from bonus land. He added four rebounds and two steals. Rubén Dominguez logged 17 points, making 6-of-11 (54.5%) from the floor, including 5-of-8 (62.5%) from beyond the arc. Rashaun Agee added 14 points and eight rebounds coming off the bench.
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Among the starters, Zach Clemence led the way with 13 points and he added two blocks. Pop Isaacs tallied 12 points, a season-high eight assists and two steals.
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The teams had two ties and one lead change before a 13-3 run put Kentucky (19-11, 10-7 SEC) in control, 22-14, at the 12:01 mark. The Wildcats inflated the cushion to 30-18 over the next four minutes. The remainder of the half was all Aggies as Dominguez sparked a 27-3 run in the final 7:29. He scored 14 points during the surge, knocking down 4-of-5 from triple town, staking the Maroon & White to a 45-33 advantage at the intermission.
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The Aggies boasted a 10-0 edge in points-off-turnovers along with owning a 31-13 margin in bench scoring in the opening act. Griffen tacked on eight points while Agee and Ali Dibba chipped in with six apiece.
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Coming out of the break it was Clemence who heated up as the Aggie advantage ballooned to 59-40 at the under-16 timeout. He sank three consecutive 3-pointers in a span of 2:23. Texas A&M eventually widened the gap to 21 when Josh Holloway slammed one home with just shy of 15 minutes remaining in the contest.
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The Wildcats would cut the deficit to 13 on four occasions over the next 13 minutes, but the Aggies had an answer every time. Kentucky finally trimmed A&M's edge to single digits with 1:36 remaining, but Texas A&M converted on 10-of-12 (83.3%) from the charity stripe to keep the Wildcats at bay.
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UP NEXT
The Aggies wrap up the regular season Saturday when they travel to Baton Rouge for a 5 p.m. game against the LSU Tigers inside Maravich Assembly Center.
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POSTGAME QUOTES
The postgame press conference with Texas A&M head coach Bucky McMillan can be found here, while interviews with senior Rylan Griffen and sophomore Rubén Dominguez can be found here.
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POSTGAME NOTES
TEAM NOTES
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
#2 Pop Isaacs
#3 Rylan Griffen
#7 Zach Clemence
#9 Rubén Dominguez
#12 Rashaun Agee
Follow the Aggies
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M men's basketball. Fans can keep up with Aggie men's basketball team on Facebook, Instagram and X by following @AggieMBK.
The Aggies (20-10, 10-7 SEC) hit 13-of-28 (46.4%) from 3-point range, including 7-of-11 (63.6%) in the second half to topple the Wildcats.
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Texas A&M had five players reach double digits in scoring, including three bench players. The reserves accounted for 57 points.
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Rylan Griffen was the top scorer, coming off the pine to score 21 on 7-of-12 (58.3%) from the field, including 4-of-8 from bonus land. He added four rebounds and two steals. Rubén Dominguez logged 17 points, making 6-of-11 (54.5%) from the floor, including 5-of-8 (62.5%) from beyond the arc. Rashaun Agee added 14 points and eight rebounds coming off the bench.
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Among the starters, Zach Clemence led the way with 13 points and he added two blocks. Pop Isaacs tallied 12 points, a season-high eight assists and two steals.
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The teams had two ties and one lead change before a 13-3 run put Kentucky (19-11, 10-7 SEC) in control, 22-14, at the 12:01 mark. The Wildcats inflated the cushion to 30-18 over the next four minutes. The remainder of the half was all Aggies as Dominguez sparked a 27-3 run in the final 7:29. He scored 14 points during the surge, knocking down 4-of-5 from triple town, staking the Maroon & White to a 45-33 advantage at the intermission.
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The Aggies boasted a 10-0 edge in points-off-turnovers along with owning a 31-13 margin in bench scoring in the opening act. Griffen tacked on eight points while Agee and Ali Dibba chipped in with six apiece.
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Coming out of the break it was Clemence who heated up as the Aggie advantage ballooned to 59-40 at the under-16 timeout. He sank three consecutive 3-pointers in a span of 2:23. Texas A&M eventually widened the gap to 21 when Josh Holloway slammed one home with just shy of 15 minutes remaining in the contest.
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The Wildcats would cut the deficit to 13 on four occasions over the next 13 minutes, but the Aggies had an answer every time. Kentucky finally trimmed A&M's edge to single digits with 1:36 remaining, but Texas A&M converted on 10-of-12 (83.3%) from the charity stripe to keep the Wildcats at bay.
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UP NEXT
The Aggies wrap up the regular season Saturday when they travel to Baton Rouge for a 5 p.m. game against the LSU Tigers inside Maravich Assembly Center.
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POSTGAME QUOTES
The postgame press conference with Texas A&M head coach Bucky McMillan can be found here, while interviews with senior Rylan Griffen and sophomore Rubén Dominguez can be found here.
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POSTGAME NOTES
TEAM NOTES
- Texas A&M shot 46.4-percent (13-28) from 3-point range, its best clip in league play this season.
- The Maroon & White saw 57 points come from their bench, marking the 18th time this season at least 30 points have come from non-starters. Â
- Texas A&M had five players score in double figures for the 11th time this season.
- The Aggies recorded just seven turnovers, marking the 13th time this season they have been in single digits in the category.
- Texas A&M used the starting lineup of Marcus Hill, Pop Isaacs, Ali Dibba, Zach Clemence and Federiko Federiko for the first time this season. Â
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
#2 Pop Isaacs
- Dished out eight assists to register a new season-best in the category.
- Scored in double figures for the 14th time this season, adding 12 points against the Wildcats.
#3 Rylan Griffen
- Led the way tying his career high with 21 points in the victory.
- Registered his first 20-plus point game of the season and the third of his career.
#7 Zach Clemence
- Scored 13 points marking the eighth time this season and the fifth time in conference play he has reached double figures.
#9 Rubén Dominguez
- Put up 17 points to record his seventh game of the year with 15-plus points.
- Drained five 3-pointers in a game for the fourth time this season
#12 Rashaun Agee
- Scored in double figures for the fifth consecutive game and 24th time this season, chipping in 14 points against the Wildcats. Â
Follow the Aggies
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M men's basketball. Fans can keep up with Aggie men's basketball team on Facebook, Instagram and X by following @AggieMBK.