Texas A&M, J.C. Hampton send Denver Pioneers packing, 80-58

Playing in their second game in three days, the Texas A&M basketball team sent the Denver Pioneers packing after handily defeating them, 80-58, on Wednesday night.

Graduate transfer J.C. Hampton led the Aggies in scoring, totaling 21 points against Denver for the second straight year after scoring 21 against the Pioneers last season at Lipscomb University.

Hampton finished the game seven-of-10 from the field and also went five-of-seven from behind the arc, providing a spark for the Aggies from the point guard position.

“I wasn’t necessarily looking for my shot more, but after Monday night’s game, I got a text from Tyler Davis saying that I needed to be more aggressive on offense,“ said Hampton.

“I had a meeting with Coach Kennedy last week, and we talked about me being more aggressive on offense and that just gave me more confidence.”

The Pioneers were within striking distance after Joe Rosga scored 17 of the team’s 23 points in the first half, with the Aggies leading 34-23 at halftime. Rosga finished with a game-high 24 points.

In the second half, A&M came out and showed their dominance by outscoring the Pioneers 20-10 in the first five minutes of the second half.

Coach Kennedy was pleased with his team's effort in their second game in a three-game stretch at home. Texas A&M dominated inside scoring, leading the Pioneers 30-12 in the paint.

“I was proud of our guys, and I think that we got better against a Denver team that played extremely well in the first half,” said coach Billy Kennedy, “I just thought all the way around we played better on both ends of the floor.”

Tonny Trocha-Morelos was perfect from the field, going 6-6 and made three of four free throws in 19 minutes on the floor. Trocha-Morelos has now scored in double-figures for the third game in a row and was the only Aggie in double-figures other than Hampton.

“I was just finding the open shot in the open spots, and I was just trying to do my job by moving without the ball so it is easier for my teammates to find me,” said Trocha-Morelos.

“And when they give me the ball, I have to make the shot so they can give me the ball again.”

A&M only committed four turnovers on the night and paired that with 20 assists, with five of those coming from Admon Gilder. Gilder finished the night with seven points.  

“When you finish with 20 assists and four turnovers, you are going to win a lot of games no matter who you play,” said Kennedy.

Robert Williams logged only seven points on the night, but provided great energy off of the bench and finished the game with four blocks, bringing his season total to 21.

The Aggies began to pull away as Hampton hit three three-pointers in a five-minute stretch midway through the second half. A&M left no doubt as the game wound down and eventually finished with a comfortable 22-point victory.

Texas A&M is back in action on Saturday with the South Carolina State Bulldogs coming to town. Coach Kennedy is encouraged with the team's progress on a busy week, knowing what lies ahead as the Aggies approach conference play.

“I like where we are at with our team right now, and I thought we improved from the last game to this game,” said Kennedy. "And with this team, that is what we are trying to focus on.

“Hopefully we can continue to get better. We are going to have to because our schedule is about to become a lot more challenging.”