Texas A&M Survives and Advances After First Round Dominance Over Saint Mary's

Dancing and moving on.

That’s exactly what the Texas A&M basketball program did against Saint Mary’s after pulling off the upset.

It wasn’t easy. No one said it was ever going to be, but the Aggies stuck to their DNA and played their hearts out against a hungry Gaels team that was coming off a tremendous season in the WCC.

Entering the game, the biggest question was how A&M’s defense would respond to the explosive Saint Mary’s size that knew how to get to the charity stripe as one of the nation’s best teams, and whether the three-ball would matter. Both departments were executed by the Maroon and White.

The Gaels were only 4 of 11 from the free-throw line and were responsible for the costly turnovers that favored the Aggies, with 18 turnovers, which was the big storyline that set the tone.

Production from graduate forward Rashaun Agee, who recorded 22 points, along with the assistance of Ruben Dominguez’s 11 points, got A&M to the finish line with the most meaningful win this program has had this season to survive and advance.

Aggies vs Gaels Recap

AGGIES KEEP ON DANCIN’ 🕺#GigEm | #BuckyBall pic.twitter.com/Sbx9UtJEfy
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) March 20, 2026

Energy.

That’s exactly what this A&M offense and defense came out with as soon as tipoff began. There was not a moment in the first half where head coach Bucky McMillan’s troops trailed, even with the game getting to within one point.

Off the bat, the Aggies jumped out to a 9-0 run that had the entire fanbase on its feet in Paycom Center as the Gaels quickly found themselves digging a hole that they struggled to crawl out of. Everything started with the captain of the team scoring seven straight points with a jumper off the glass before nailing his first three and muscling in a layup before guard Ali Dibba checked in the game and extended the lead with a bucket inside.

A&M’s defense quickly embraced its identity that ‘Bucky Ball’ is known for, with the half-court press fast pace that caught up to Saint Mary’s with three early turnovers before going to the locker room with 11 turnovers.

Kansas transfer Zach Clemence later assisted on the defensive end with a block that eventually set up guard Jacari Lane to use his ball-handling skills to skip the ball to guard Ruben Dominguez for his first points.

Saint Mary’s cut into the deficit after banking in three straight field goals from three that led to McMillan calling a timeout. After the timeout, A&M put the foot to the accelerator and fueled four more 3-pointers that included three made by Dominguez before Clemence cashed in on another three to go to the locker room up by 11 points.

At halftime, the Aggies shot 48 percent from the field and were 38 percent from downtown. Defensively, there were 11 turnovers forced, and even more pivotal was limiting the Gaels to only two free throws, given that they were one of the best free-throw percentage teams in the nation.

Coming out of the tunnel, A&M continued what it had done all game. Press and get good looks. It was an identical start that they saw in the first two minutes with a 7-0 run generated by guard Pop Isaacs, who nailed his first three of the game before Lane and Agee came soaring inside with layups.

Later on, the Aggies took their largest lead, up by 20 points, when Dibba knocked down his free throw. After Agee sank his third three, the Gaels ran out of energy, with the exclamation point coming when the defense held them scoreless in the last 2:57 of the contest.

On the night, A&M finished 44 percent from the field and 35 percent from three while Saint Mary’s was only 38 percent from the field and 36 percent from the line.

Next up for the Aggies is the Round of 32, where they’ll await the winner of Houston and Idaho.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Xand Instagram for the latest news.