Turnovers, Free Throws and Timely Threes Power Texas A&M Past Oklahoma

Turnovers. Free throws. Threes.

Those three areas were the biggest factors in the Aggies' and Sooners' late-game battle at Reed Arena.

Despite Texas A&M not shooting as well from the field or from behind the arc as Oklahoma did in the first half, the defense created turnovers, which was a big factor in connecting on enough field goals to pull out the 83-76 win. At the conclusion, Oklahoma had a 35-30 advantage from deep, but an even 42 percent with A&M from the field was what was interesting about one of the differences in this one.

“I thought our guys were fresh in the game late,” head coach Bucky McMillan said. “We were better defensively in the half-court in the second half because our guys took their matchups personally. OU had 17 turnovers, and we only had eight. We also shot more free throws.”

Turnovers

DANCE IF THE AGS JUST WON pic.twitter.com/Qzu5QuU4JR
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) January 10, 2026

The Aggies’ defense rose to the occasion in a game where questions lingered about how long a small lineup could defend an Oklahoma offense that showed it can spread the ball around and knock down 3-pointers.

“You can't win against this team in this atmosphere when we turn it over 17 times,” Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser said. “It won't happen. They're a great team."

As Derrion Reid led the Sooners with four turnovers, he made his first one at the 17:30 mark in the first half on a lost ball he was unable to handle under small pressure. His next turnover was just as costly as the one that came off a bad pass that fired up the 12th Man. His second postball was with 2:51 left before adding on to make him the fifth-highest player to turn the ball on coach Porter Moser’s team.

It wasn’t just Reid who had a bad day; Xzavier Brown had three of his own, but it’s a credit to the improvement the Aggies have made over the last few weeks. There was even a 5-second and 10-second violation that handed the ball right back on possessions that made a difference down the stretch, and sophomore guard Ruben Dominguez spoke about the confidence he had in the defense.

“It came a long way,” Ruben Dominguez said. “We got a lot better. We have to trust each other and press the ball more. We did that in the second half."

Free Throws

There was a trio of A&M players, including guards Pop Isaacs, Ruben Dominguez, and Marcus Hill, who were perfect from the line. Seven total players for A&M made at least one shot from the line. At the charity stripe, A&M went 84 percent, making 21 of its 25 attempts, which was one of the categories McMillan’s squad finished better in than Oklahoma.

Five important trips to the line were pivotal in keeping the game out of the grasp of the Sooners, and those possessions were vital to walking away with another conference win. In the first period, there were 15 free throws made compared to the six in the final 20 minutes. From the 5:53 timestamp onward, North Alabama transfer Jacari Lane, along with Isaacs and Hill, did their job when needed.

Threes

Right on time 😄 pic.twitter.com/9udUmg4l5T
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) January 11, 2026

Adding a massive piece to the Aggies’ offense that could shoot from behind the arc was something McMillan knew he had to do when he inherited the program, as there wasn’t a ton to build around when he was hired to coach in Aggieland.

When the coaching staff found the Spanish native, Ruben Dominguez, it was like finding a needle in a haystack. No one could have imagined that the school record for the most threes in a single game would be broken in Year 1 under McMillan, but it did, and the beautiful shot was on display once again.

Against the Sooners, the 6-foot-6 guard slipped through traffic and nailed four of his nine 3-pointers, allowing the Aggies to hold onto the lead. One of the notable parts of his game came at the 11-minute mark of the first half when he cashed in on back-to-back shots to make it 22-17.

Dominguez sat atop the SEC with 53 made 3’s on the year going into the afternoon, as he accumulated more highlight reels that he’ll add to his stash of shots made behind the arc. Another guard who heated up from deep was Rylan Griffen, who made two of his three 3-pointers in the second half and finished with 14 points.

As a group, A&M made 10 of its 33 shots from downtown. Not a bad day at work, even though it was closer than they would’ve liked it.

“I think we're in good shape physically and our guys can continue to play with effort late in games,” McMillan said. “They're confident and lean on the other team as much as they can. We continue to play attacking basketball.”