3 Surprise Players Who Stepped Up in Texas A&M’s Win vs. Saint Mary’s

The star of the show for the Texas A&M Aggies during their 63–50 first-round victory over the Saint Mary’s Gaels was forward Rashaun Agee. With 22 points and nine rebounds, he led the way and set the tone for Texas A&M to pull off its third consecutive trip to the Round of 32.

However, it was a team effort for the Aggies, who forced 18 turnovers and held the Gaels to 38% from the field. Several Aggies played up to the moment, helping Texas A&M advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

3 Players Who Stepped Up in Texas A&M’s March Madness Victory

Zach Clemence

Zach Clemence saw an uptick in action late in the season, even starting the Aggies’ lone SEC Tournament game, as he provides the size that the roster generally lacks. It brought some success, though he typically comes off the bench, providing Texas A&M with depth.

The 6’11” forward can shoot and has length, but it was his well-rounded game that stood out on Thursday night. He tied for the team-high in assists with three, including a skilled lob pass to big man Jamie Vinson. He hit a three-pointer, grabbed three rebounds, had two steals and a block and moved well on defense.

Clemence played 21 minutes and had a role in defending Gaels forward Paulius Murauskas and center Andrew McKeever. Alongside Agee and Vinson, he held them to four points and 1-for-9 from the field.

With three seasons and four years at Kansas, Clemence has Tournament experience, and it showed as he stepped up to the moment.

Rubén Dominguez

Texas A&M guard Ruben Dominguez celebrates a 3-pointer during a first-round men’s basketball game of the NCAA Tournament. — Texas A&M guard Ruben Dominguez celebrates a 3-pointer in the first half during a first-round men’s basketball game of the NCAA Tournament between St. Mary's and Texas A&M at Paycom in Oklahoma City on Thursday, March 19, 2026. | NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coming into the matchup with Saint Mary’s, Rubén Dominguez had hit multiple three-point shots in just two of his last 11 games. This was despite taking 4.2 attempts per game. Texas A&M was 4–7 in these games.

Despite coming into the NCAA Tournament on a cold streak, the Spanish guard was ready for the spotlight and was lights out as a shooter. Dominguez scored 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting from the field (3-for-7 from deep).

Heading into the night, the Aggies were 16–3 when Dominguez hit multiple three-pointers. That climbed to 15–2 when he had three or more. Texas A&M added one more to the win column with a hard-fought victory.

Ali Dibba

In many ways, Ali Dibba is a do-it-all player for Texas A&M, filling into the role of a veteran presence with over 130 career games.

A former All-MVC and All-WAC player, Dibba has found his role for the Aggies, and the process has been very successful. He has fallen from 17.2 points per game to 5.6, but he has a career-high box plus-minus and finds a way to fill in the right cracks to help his team win.

Against Saint Mary’s, Dibba scored nine points (third on the team) and had a game-high three steals, putting pressure on the Gaels’ offense, particularly in press.

He also grabbed seven rebounds, second on the team, which helped Texas A&M keep the rebounding battle competitive. The Aggies were -1 in rebounding margin, a huge success against a team that was fourth in college basketball with a +360 margin this season.

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