A&M fails to slow down Houston in second round loss
Game #34: #2 Houston 88, #10 Texas A&M 57
Records: Texas A&M (22-12, 11-7), Houston (30-6, 14-4)
Box Score
OKLAHOMA CITY — An 18-point Houston run in the first half was too much to overcome as Texas A&M (22-12) suffered an 88-57 defeat to the Cougars (30-6) on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The loss put an end to A&M’s improbable first season under coach Bucky McMillan, who inherited a roster with no scholarship players.
McMillan assembled a team of transfers that exceeded expectations. The Aggies were originally picked to finish 13th in the Southeastern Conference.
Instead, A&M finished in a tie for fourth in the SEC race to earn the program’s fourth consecutive at-large berth into March Madness.
The No. 10 seed Aggies upset No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s, 63-50, on Thursday to advance to face Houston in the second round for the second time in three seasons.
Two years ago, A&M fell to Houston in overtime in Memphis, 100-95.
In the early going, it appeared the Aggies and Cougars may be locked in another close-contested struggle.
A&M trailed just 25-24 when Zach Clemence hit a 3-pointer from the left wing with 7:43 remaining in the half.
But the Aggies missed their next 12 shots and lost three turnovers as Houston launched an 18-0 run over a span of 6:11 to take control.
A&M trailed by as much as 20 points before going into halftime down, 46-28.
Houston scored the first eight points of the second half and cruised the rest of the way.
Star of the Game: Josh Holloway led the Aggies with 12 points. That was his second-highest point total. He had 13 points in the season-opening win over Northwestern State. Holloway also had four assists vs. Houston.
Key Stat: Pick one — Houston had 19 offensive rebounds and 18 second-chance points. The Cougars committed just seven turnovers, and one of those was intentionally running out the shot clock in the final seconds. Houston also converted 20 of 25 free throws.
Turning Point: UH forward Chris Cenac Jr. hit a jumper from the elbow to start an 18-0 run for an insurmountable 43-24 lead. Cenac had nine points in the run.
It was clinched when: See above.