COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Three-pointers allowed Northwestern State to hang with Texas A&M early, but the Aggies eventually pulled away from a feisty Demons squad en route to 72-44 win in Reed Arena.
NSU (0-1) knocked down four 3-pointers to help close to 20-18 with less than seven minutes left in the first half, but the Aggies (1-0) ended the period on a 13-3 run to build a 12-point halftime lead.
Texas A&M started the second half on an 22-7 spurt as the Aggies turned NSU turnovers into points and made open shots to finish the Demons.
"We tried to play a slow-down game, and that's not our forte'," said NSU coach
Mike McConathy. "We don't understand that if we try to run with a team of this size and athleticism, they might hang 120 points on us.
"But we had a pretty good first half before we got discombobulated there at the end. We took quick shots late in the first half and in the second half, and Texas A&M got runouts."
In the first half, senior guard
Zeek Woodley made his second 3-pointer before sinking a pair of free throws to cap a 10-2 NSU run to pull within 20-18. Woodley scored a team-high 10 points as the only Demon in double-digits. The Demons finished 5-of-13 from 3-point range.
The Demons' pressure bothered the Aggies, who are receiving preseason Top 25 votes, into four of their nine first-half turnovers during NSU's run.
Texas A&M ultimately constructed its lead with its towering inside presence, scoring 42 points in the paint and outrebounding NSU 46-29. The Aggies turned 19 offensive rebounds into 21 second-chance points, while NSU had just eight points in the paint and seven second-chance points.
Sophomore center Tyler Davis (6-foot-10, 270 pounds) posted first-half highs of 10 points and eight rebounds en route to 16 points and 10 boards to lead Texas A&M in both categories. Six other Aggies recorded at least four rebounds as NSU shot just 28 percent from the field, including 7-of-30 from inside the arc.
The Aggies recorded five of their nine blocks in the first half. Freshman and Vivian native Robert Williams posted five of those blocks, adding six points and seven rebounds.
Tonny Trocha-Morelos added 11 points for the Aggies.
"I was frustrated for Zeek and Ishmael because they battled really hard," McConathy said. "But it's tough to play inside against a team with so much length.
"Our biggest problem right now is that we have to know who we are on a given night. A guy like (Davis) can wallow around in the paint all he wants, and we have to slow it down consistently to hang with them."
Lane added eight points and four rebounds but made five of NSU's 18 turnovers. Freshman guard
Josh Boyd made multiple passes which could have led to baskets, but they ricocheted off an unprepared teammates' hands. Boyd finished with seven points and six turnovers.
Sophomore
Reginald Kissoonlal made both of his 3-pointer attempts, including a basket that started NSU's first-half run that eventually cut Texas A&M's lead to 20-18.
The 44 points scored is the lowest since Northwestern State scored 42 at Arizona this past season in a similar, slow-down game.
NSU continues its Power 5 road trip Sunday with a visit to Oklahoma in Norman. The 4 p.m. contest is being broadcast live on Sooner Sports TV and on the Demon Sports Radio Network.
