Texas A&M-Commerce Lions vs Texas A&M Aggies Match Player Stats On Nov 06, 2023

Senior guard Hayden Hefner scored a game-high 19 points, Southeastern Conference preseason Player of the Year Wade Taylor IV finished with 16 points and No. 15 Texas A&M rolled to a 78-46 victory over Texas A&M-Commerce on Monday night in College Station, Texas.

The Aggies (1-0) knocked down 11 3-pointers on the night, including four by Taylor, three by Hefner and two by Eli Lawrence. Lawrence, a graduate transfer from Middle Tennessee, finished with 11 points in 11 minutes. Solomon Washington had 10 points as the Aggies had four players score in double figures.

The Lions (0-1) were led by forward Jerome Brewer Jr., who had 13 points. Senior guard Kalen Williams had 10 points.

A&M dominated in just about every category, shooting 46.7 percent from the field compared to Commerce's 29.6 percent and winning the rebounding battle 47-25. However, the Lions provided a brief scare in the first half.

Trailing 20-7 early on, the Lions went on a 12-1 run to pull within 21-20 with 8:18 left in the first half. The Lions' run was highlighted by a 3-pointer by Khaliq Abdul-Mateen and a fastbreak, two-handed slam by Zondrick Garrett.

That potential upset alert was short-lived, though. Hefner drained a 3-pointer to make it a two-possession game, and A&M went on to outscore Commerce 21-7 over the final eight minutes to take a 42-27 lead into the locker room.

The Aggies didn't let up in the second half. They had an early 10-0 run, with Taylor scoring eight of the points. He made two 3-pointers in the stretch, including one to cap the run and give A&M a 52-29 lead with just under 17 minutes left.

A&M had a 12-3 run later in the half as it led comfortably to the finish.

A&M improved to 4-1 in the all-time series against Commerce. This marked the first meeting between the programs since Dec. 12, 1979.

--Field Level Media