- Texas A&M earned its second-straight season-opening win under Bucky McMillan, downing Alabama State, 97-66.
- Jalen Shelley became the first Aggie since 2018 to record a double-double in a season opener, as he finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
- The Maroon & White capitalized on lockdown defense, registering 30 points off turnovers.
COLLEGE STATION – The Texas A&M men’s basketball team won its second straight season opener under head coach Bucky McMillan, cruising to a 97-66 victory over Alabama State Tuesday evening at Reed Arena.
Five Aggies registered double-digit points, paced by PJ Haggerty’s 22 on 8-for-14 shooting (57.1%) while adding five from the free-throw line. Jalen Shelly led Texas A&M (1-0) in rebounds, grabbing 12, while adding 14 points to secure his first double-double donning the Maroon & White.
The Aggies were first out of the gate, forging a seven-point gap halfway through the first half with a 16-9 lead on Alabama State (0-1). Defense was the tale of the tape, as A&M forced 17 turnovers which led to 20 of its 44 points. They closed the period on a 21-9 surge that had the Maroon & White up 15 at the break, 44-29.
Back-and-forth scoring ensued throughout the first 10 minutes of the second half, with the gap holding at 15 in A&M’s favor, 61-46. The Aggies continued to distance themselves the rest of the way to secure the victory.
Capitalizing on defense was a trend for the evening, as A&M forced 25 turnovers which led to 30 points. The Aggies forced 13 steals with Jordan Pope leading the group grabbing three.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M returns to Reed Arena Friday when it hosts Northern Kentucky at 7 p.m. Tickets for the game are available here.
TEAM NOTES
- The Aggies forced 25 turnovers in the game, which resulted in 30 points.
- The Maroon & White recorded double-digit steals for the 12th time under head coach Bucky McMillan.
- Texas A&M outscored the Hornets 42-26 in the paint.
- The Aggies never trailed, leading by as many as 33 points.
- Seven players scored in their Texas A&M debuts.
- The Maroon & White moved to 14-1 in season openers since joining the SEC in 2012, 12-0 in home season openers in that span.
- Texas A&M used the starting lineup of Jordan Pope, Jalen Shelley, PJ Haggerty, Cade Phillips and Mackenzie Mgbako.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
#0 Jordan Pope
- Reached double figures in his Texas A&M debut, scoring 17 points and adding three steals.
- Recorded the fifth double-double of his career with 14 points and a team-high 12 rebounds, marking the first double-double in an A&M opener since 2018.
- Posted his sixth career double-digit rebounding game.
#4 PJ Haggerty
- Led the Aggies with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting, scoring 20-plus points for the 59th time in his career.
- Set a new career high with eight rebounds, doubling his previous best of four.
- Scored 11 points on 5-of-8 (62.5%) shooting for his 53rd career double-digit scoring game.
#21 Mackenzie Mgbako
- Posted 12 points for his sixth double-digit scoring game as an Aggie.