Field Level Media
Feb 3, 2018
Admon Gilder scored 15 points and Robert Williams added 11 points and nine rebounds as hot-shooting Texas A&M clobbered South Carolina 83-60 on Saturday afternoon in Southeastern Conference play at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas.
Texas A&M led by 22 points at halftime and never let up, rolling to the win on the strength of a 52.7 percent-27.5 percent advantage in field-goal shooting, a 40-18 margin in points in the paint and 11 steals.
South Carolina used a 7-0 run late in the game to cut A&M's bulge to 21 points but by then the game was all but over.
Tyler Davis added 12 points for the Aggies (15-8, 4-6 SEC), who won their second consecutive game and fourth in their past five conference contests. D.J Hogg scored 10 points for Texas A&M.
Justin Minaya led all scorers with 16 points while Chris Silva hit for 12 for the Gamecocks. The loss was the third in a row and fourth in five games for South Carolina.
South Carolina (13-10, 4-6) made just three of its first 22 shots and fell behind A&M by as many as 17 points in the game's first eight and a half minutes. Eleven of the Gamecocks' first 15 points came from their bench players in an attempt to find some combination that would get the team back into the game after its early swoon.
Texas A&M made five of its final seven shots, finished with a 6-0 run and rolled to a 49-27 lead at halftime. Gilder led the Aggies with 11 points, Davis had eight and Williams scored six points and took nine rebounds over the first 20 minutes. Texas A&M outshot the Gamecocks 63-21.1 percent in the half.
Minaya led all players with 12 points off the bench at the break but he was the only South Carolina player to score more than five points.
If the Gamecocks were going to get back in the game, a serious comeback was needed to begin in the opening minutes of the second half. Instead, Texas A&M expanded its lead to 29 by the 11:53 mark and was never tested through the remainder of the contest.
The Aggies return to the floor on Wednesday at No. 11 Auburn; South Carolina stays on the road for Tuesday's contest at Arkansas.
-- Field Level Media