Texas A&M Aggies Storm Past UL Monroe in Hoops Opener
Things are a little rocky on the gridiron for the Aggies, but action on the hardwood is going as smoothly as ever for Texas A&M after opening its men's basketball season with a win. A&M hosted Louisiana Monroe to tip things off this season and the Aggies cruised to an 84-57 victory over the Warhawks. Aggies' head coach Buzz Williams knows the importance of getting in the win column early, regardless of the opponent.
"I don't ever want to take for granted how hard it is to win a game," said Williams after the victory, "I thought we were a little choppy, which some of that may have been first-game jitters… I thought we played better in the second half.”
There's always room for improvement, but coaches are, by nature, perpetually unsatisfied, and despite Williams' concerns, A&M looked like they were in control for the full 40 minutes. The Aggies were led by sophomore guard Wade Taylor IV, who poured in 18 points on 4 of 6 shooting from beyond the arc. Forward Henry Coleman III also filled the stat sheet for A&M, recording 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and a steal on the night.
Taylor and Coleman helmed the scoring duties, but nearly every Aggie was knocking down their shots in the opener. A&M shot over 50 percent from the field (50.8) and better than 46 percent from three-point range (46.2). Aside from the free throw line, where A&M notched just 61 percent, the Aggies shot lights out from just about everywhere as they extended their lead to 38 points in the second half.
Of course, competition will increase in difficulty as the season continues, but the Aggies did their job in this one. In the future, they'll have to limit their turnovers though as they coughed up 14 in the game. Ten of those were steals by the Warhawks, so A&M will need to focus on ball control in their next game, a home matchup against Abilene Christian.
That game will take place on Friday at 7 p.m. (CT) when Texas A&M hosts the Wildcats for the Aggies' second game of the 2022-2023 season. Williams and his squad will be looking to defend their home court and keep the momentum rolling as the year officially gets underway.
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