COLLEGE STATION — The Buzz Williams era at Texas A&M officially began Wednesday night as the Aggies (1-0) defeated Northwestern State, 77-63, Wednesday night at Reed Arena.
Here are three takeaways from A&M’s 14-point victory over the Demons:
Off on the right foot
There were smiles to be seen as the Buzz Williams era at A&M began with a win.
Things were shaky in the first nine minutes of the game though, with the Demons holding a slim 12-10 lead. A&M started sloppy, turning the ball over six times in that span and started 2 of 8 from the field.
The Aggies were quick to find their way, however.
A&M was able to start driving to the basket instead of settling for 3-pointers and forced the Demons into miscues and poor shot selection with heightened energy on both ends of the floor.
Momentum was maintained by A&M in the second half as the Aggies built as large as a 21-point lead. The Demons tried to make things interesting, pulling within as close as seven with just under four minutes to play, but A&M held firm to keep Northwestern State from spoiling Williams’ debut.
New year, but Savion Flagg still leads the way
New year, same on-court leadership from guard Savion Flagg.
The junior from Alvin led the Aggies in points (22) and rebounds (7) just as he did last season.
Serving as one of the Aggies’ taller players, Flagg was utilized all over the court. He was strong on defense tying for a game-best rebound total with A&M forwards Jonathan Aku and Yavuz Gultekin and added three blocks. On offense, Flagg was multi-faceted, too, working the low block while also dishing five assists and even hit a 3-pointer.
Flagg capped his night with a breakaway dunk to put the game on ice with less than 30 seconds to play.
Collectively, A&M was strong, but Flagg proved to still be the glue of the Aggies as he enters his third season.
Starting small
There aren’t too many options for the Aggies at post, so A&M started a smaller lineup with four guards listed. The tallest players in A&M’s starting five were freshman Emmanuel Miller and Flagg, who are both listed at 6-foot-7.
A lack of size did seem to faze the Aggies too much. A&M outscored Northwestern State in the paint, 44-20, and even had more blocks, 4-1, than the Demons.
While Flagg was the centerpiece for A&M, other guards had impactful performances. Junior transfer Quenton Jackson provided sparks, dropping 13 points. Junior Jay Jay Chandler put together a solid outing, scoring 11 points and added five rebounds.
Buzz Williams said Monday he wanted his team to cut down the number of offensive rebounds allowed from last Friday’s exhibition game against A&M-Kingsville. The Aggies didn’t quite accomplish that as the Demons reeled in 19 offensive rebounds as each team had 38 rebounds.
A&M’s guard-oriented lineup was effective when it matter, providing twitch and energy that allowed A&M to pull away from the Demons.
Up Next
A&M gets a few days to prepare for its second game of the season. The Aggies will be back in action against Louisiana-Monroe Monday night with tip-off set for 7 p.m.
The Warhawks won their season-opener against Louisiana College Tuesday night, 64-41. They’ll host Alcorn State Saturday morning before traveling to Texas to face the Aggies.
