Texas A&M men’s basketball wrapped up a one-week tour in the Bahamas that saw the Aggies go undefeated in a three-game stretch against international competition.
Raw Talent Elite, BC Zalgiris Kaunas, and the Puerto Rican national team all faced Texas A&M over the last week, providing some much-welcomed experience for an Aggies team with heightened expectations heading into next season. The next time we’ll see Aggie basketball on the hardwood will be in their season opener against Texas A&M-Commerce on Nov. 10 at Reed Arena.
Here’s a breakdown of how the Aggies fared throughout their three games in the Bahamas tour.
Exhibition Game 1: Texas A&M (100), Raw Talent Elite (49)
The Maroon and White made easy work of the Bahamas club thanks to a well-rounded performance from both returning Aggies, as well as some new faces to the program. Solomon Washington (17 points), transfer Eli Lawrence (13 points), Andersson Garcia (12 points), Tyrece Radford (12 points), Hayden Hefner (12 points), and Henry Coleman III (10 points) all finished in double-digit figures.
Washington earned the game ball for his perfect shooting performance (7-for-7) from the field, while adding nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Lawrence highlighted how his two-way ability will be invaluable to the Aggies this season, as he finished with a game-high four steals on the defensive end.
The full box score can be found here.
Exhibition Game 2: Texas A&M (89), BC Zalgiris Kaunas (59)
If the offense took center stage in the Aggies’ first exhibition game, it was all about defense in game two. Texas A&M stifled BC Zalgiris Kaunas en route to forcing 26 turnovers and 17 steals. Of those takeaways, Washington forced seven by his lonesome with a stellar defensive effort.
Wade Taylor IV (15 points, 4-for-6 3PT), Radford (15 points, 2-for-3 3PT), and Julius Marble (12 points) led the Maroon and White in scoring.
The full box score can be found here.
Exhibition Game 3: Texas A&M (83), Puerto Rico National Team (70)
The Maroon and White saved the best for last when it came to competition in the Bahamas tour, as the Puerto Rican national team made the Aggies work for every basket in their head-to-head. In the end, Texas A&M prevailed with an 83-70 win in the team’s best battle of the tour. While holding a close 58-51 lead heading into the fourth, the Aggies leveraged a 13-3 run to propel them to victory and remain undefeated during the three-game stretch.
Four A&M players in Taylor (14 points, 4-for-8 3PT), Marble (14 points), Hefner (13 points, 3-for-5 3PT), and Manny Obaseki (11 points) finished in double-figures. Garcia chipped in with a near double-double with eight points and a game-high nine rebounds.
The full box score can be found here.
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