Texas A&M Aggies Blowout Texas A&M-Commerce in Season Opener
The Texas A&M Aggies needed a win Monday night.
Not only was the pressure on to make an early statement to begin non-conference play — a curiously subpar stretch of the season for coach Buzz Williams and company a year ago — but the Aggies had much higher expectations from the jump.
They were ranked No. 15, expected to register a blowout and beginning the season at home in front of the second-largest opening crowd in program history.
In other words, the stage was set. And the Aggies performed.
Riding a strong shooting performance in the first half and all-around production from its entire starting unit, Texas A&M took a near-50 percent shooting clip and a 15-point lead to the locker room.
From there, it never looked back, finishing the game up by 32 points as it improved to 1-0 on a 78-46 home victory over the Texas A&M-Commerce Golden Lions.
Nov 6, 2023; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Commerce guard Alonzo Dodd (10) controls the ball as Texas A&M Aggies guard Hayden Hefner (2) defends during the first half at Reed Arena.
© Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
Right away, the Aggies scratched the score sheet behind Tyrece Radford, Wade Taylor IV and Hayden Hefner — three returning stars ready to play big roles for their team. Texas A&M got out to an early four-point lead, but it wasn't long before that reached double digits.
Hefner and Taylor IV both connected from deep multiple times in the first half, allowing the Aggies to keep their lead in tact despite a Golden Lions run fueled by senior guard Kalen Williams.
The senior finished the half with eight points, but it was to no avail, as Hefner and Taylor IV combined for 18 and the Aggies went to the half with a 15-point, 27-42 lead.
The second half wasn't much different. It just got worse for Texas A&M-Commerce.
Behind Taylor IV and Hefner — who finished the game with 16 and 19 points, respectively — the Aggies quickly tacked on more points to balloon their lead to 20 points. Their near-40 percent shooting from behind the arc certainly helped with that, as well, as the Golden Lions struggled to keep up defensively.
By time the final 10 minutes came around, the game was all-but officially over.
Texas A&M found more offense through Radford and Sean Washington, who both helped make the latter minutes feel more like a race to a 30-point lead and less like a two-team contest — it finally happened with 5:24 remaining.
The Aggies finished out the game by out-rebounding, out-shooting and out-assisting their visiting opponents. Besides a few careless turnovers that ended up pushing their total higher than Texas A&M-Commerce's, the Aggies outperformed the Golden Lions on all fronts, eventually securing their 78-46 victory at home.
With the win, the Aggies secured a perfect start to their season and got a chance to hit the court against a real opponent for the first time since the end of last year.
Now, Texas A&M can set its sights on Ohio State for its next non-conference test, which will certainly test its limits early on.
Tipoff from Schottenstein Center is set for 6 p.m. CST Friday.
