Field Level Media
Dec 6, 2020
Emanuel Miller finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Andre Gordon added 18 points and five assists as host Texas A&M mostly kept UT Rio Grande Valley at arm's length in the 81-68 nonconference win Sunday in College Station, Texas.
The hot shooting Aggies (3-0), who entered play averaging 40.4 percent from the floor and only 29.4 percent on 3-pointers, made 54.2 percent overall and 42.1 percent (8 of 19) from long range.
Quinton Johnson II carried Rio Grande Valley (3-2) with 21 points on 7 of 16 shooting overall and 4 of 9 from long range. He also led the team with six rebounds.
The Vaqueros (3-2), who trailed by at least nine points for most of the game's final 31 minutes, shot 35 percent from the floor and 30 percent (9 of 30) on 3-pointers.
Trailing by 11, Rio Grande Valley scored seven of the first nine points in the second half to trim the deficit to 45-39. Gordon, however, responded with a 3-pointer and Miller scored on a layup.
The lead reached 20 on a layup by Gordon to make it 72-52 with 7:55 left. Gordon hit 8 of 11 shots overall.
Savion Flagg contributed seven points, seven assists and four rebounds for the Aggies.
Kevin Marfo, a graduate transfer from Quinnipiac who led the nation in rebounding last season, added nine boards for Texas A&M. Miller also finished with three steals.
Chris Freeman had nine points and five rebounds for the Vaqueros.
Texas A&M began to pull away about midway in the first half, going on a 15-4 run to extend the lead to 31-17 with 6:30 left in the half. Jay Jay Chandler and Miller had four points apiece in the run.
The Aggies pushed their lead to 14 points on two occasions before intermission.
Miller finished the half with 14 points and four rebounds, and Quenton Jackson added eight points and four rebounds. The Aggies shot 56 percent from the floor, including 46.2 percent on 3-pointers.
Rio Grande Valley led briefly at 6-5 on 3-pointers by Johnson and Freeman and hit four of their first eight shots overall. The Vaqueros missed their next five shots as the Aggies began to build the lead.
The Vaqueros bounced back by making four of their final five shots of the half, including two 3-pointers, and shot 40 percent from the field, including 35.7 percent on treys before intermission.
Johnson led Rio Grande Valley with 11 points in the half, mostly for going 3 of 5 from behind the arc.
--Field Level Media