- PJ Haggerty led the way for the Maroon & White with 28 points, adding four assists and four steals.
- Mackenzie Mgbako pulled down a team-best eight rebounds and added 12 points.
- The Aggies open the regular season, Tuesday, Nov. 3 at Reed Arena when they take on Alabama State at 7 p.m.
DALLAS – The Texas A&M men’s basketball team was edged out by SMU in the closing minute, falling 94-88 in a preseason exhibition at Moody Coliseum Sunday afternoon.
PJ Haggerty led the way for the Aggies with 28 points, shooting 10-for-15 (66.7%) from the field and 8-for-10 (80%) from the free-throw line. Jordan Pope added 15 points in the game, while Mackenzie Mgbako grabbed a team-best eight rebounds to go with 12 points.
It was a back-and-forth game to start the second half as neither team led by more than two possessions nearing the midway point in the period. The Aggies put together a big 14-2 run to go up 10, 67-57, with 9:04 to play but SMU responded with six quick points to cut it to a four-point game.
Fouls plagued the Aggies throughout the game and four straight free throws allowed the Mustangs to go up 84-82 with 38 seconds on the clock. A late 3-pointer from Pope got it back to a five-point game, but nine straight free throws in the final 26 seconds from SMU sealed the game.
Both teams got out to a slow start in the game with neither in double figures by the first media timeout. Down 10 with 3:39 remaining the first half, the Aggies used an 11-2 run to get within one, 33-32. A five-point play to close the half gave the Maroon & White a 37-35 advantage at the break after Pope was fouled on a 3-point attempt and Haggerty sank a pair of free throws after an SMU technical foul.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M begins the regular season Tuesday, Nov. 3 at Reed Areana, taking on Alabama State at 7 p.m. Tickets for the opener are available here.
POSTGAME NOTES
TEAM NOTES
- The Aggies finished the game shooting 80-percent (32-40) from the free throw line.
- The Maroon & White’s defense recorded 16 steals, forced 20 SMU turnovers and blocked five shots.
- Texas A&M outscored the Mustangs 34-26 in the paint and pulled down 20 offensive rebounds.
- The Aggies used the starting lineup of Jordan Pope, Jalen Shelley, PJ Haggerty, Cade Phillips and Zach Clemence.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
#0 Jordan Pope
- Reached double figures in his first appearance in the Maroon & White, scoring 15 points on 4-of-6 (66.7%) shooting.
- Was 3-of-5 (60%) from 3-point range and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
#4 PJ Haggerty
- Scored 20-plus points for the 59ths time in his career after leading the way with 28 points.
- Paced Texas A&M with four assists and tied for the team lead with four steals.
- Scored nine points off the bench, going a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.
#21 Mackenzie Mgbako
- Posted12 points for his sixth double-digit scoring game as an Aggie.
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