Texas A&M
2-1,0-0SEC
Gonzaga
4-0,0-0WCC
Aggies Fall to No. 8 Gonzaga, 79-49
Nov 15, 2019 | Men's Basketball
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) Admon Gilder and Ryan Woolridge each scored 16 points, and No. 8 Gonzaga defeated Texas A&M 79-49 on Friday night.
Filip Petrusev added 14 points and 10 rebounds, helping the Bulldogs (4-0) overcome a slow start. Drew Timme had 11 points.
Gilder also had seven rebounds in his return to Texas A&M. He transferred last summer after the Aggies fired Billy Kennedy and hired Buzz Williams from Virginia Tech. Gilder sat out last season following the discovery of a blood clot in his arm.
Wendell Mitchell led Texas A&M (2-1) with 14 points.
RECORDS & SERIES NOTES
- Texas A&M fell to No. 8 Gonzaga, 79-49, Friday night in Reed Arena to move to 2-1 on the season.
- Tonight was the third meeting between the two teams as Gonzaga now leads the series, 2-1.
- Tonight's attendance of 10,344 marks the largest non-conference crowd at Reed Arena since 2016 vs. Iowa State (12,473).
TEAM NOTES
- The Aggies had an energetic start, as they jumped out to a 14-11 advantage at the 11:10 mark, and limited the Bulldogs to 25% (4-of-16) from the field and 1-5 from three. Gonzaga went on a 29-5 point run to end the first half with a 40-19 lead.
- The Maroon & White shot a season-high 75% from the free-throw line on 12-of-16 shooting.
- Texas A&M's defense recorded a season-high nine steals.
- The Aggies grabbed 11 offensive rebounds, tying its season high which was set against ULM.
- Texas A&M used the starting lineup combination of Andre Gordon, Jonathan Aku, Jay Jay Chandler, Savion Flagg, and Wendell Mitchell for the second time this season (1-1).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Josh Nebo scored in double-digits for the first time this season as he had 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe.
- Nebo also swatted two shots, marking his second straight game with at least two blocks.
- Wendell Mitchell led the team in scoring with 14 points after scoring 10 in the second half.
- Emanuel Miller was the team leader in rebounds and steals with six and three, respectively.
- Buzz Williams is 2-1 in his first season at Texas A&M and 255-156 in his 13 seasons as a head coach.
UP NEXT
- The Aggies look to bounce back in their last game of the homestand Wednesday night against Troy in Reed Arena at 7 p.m.
Texas A&M Quotes
Head Coach Buzz Williams
On lessons learned throughout the game…
"I don't know if I could summarize it in the time that we have. I think there are lessons almost per possession, per player, whoever was in. Maybe once I watch the tape, I can see the bits more but there's lessons though out, in every possible way. Regardless of opponent, who's playing relative to where we're at and where we need to work to get to, every situation is an opportunity to learn for sure."
On Wendell Mitchell's performance…
"I love the intent of his heart. Regardless of how good of a player he is, I just respect who he is as a person. I respect that he is completely bought into what we have asked him to do. He is easily the most vocal person in our program. He cares for the right reasons, not the selfish reasons. I thought tonight, he was trying. He was trying to create shots and make plays for others. I just love who he is as a kid."
On going up against Troy next and head coach Scott Cross…
"We will have to be at our absolute best to beat Scott [Cross] on Wednesday. Scott was the first player I ever signed as a college coach. He is my favorite human being in the world. I remember it very distinctly. The first point guard I ever singed as a head coach is his top assistant coach so we will have to be at our absolute best because Scott literally knows every single thing that we do. We will have to be distinctly better than we have been through three games to have a chance to win on Wednesday.
Junior Guard/Forward Savion Flagg
On the difficulty of getting into the groove during long scoring sessions…
"I thought it was difficult getting into the groove. Couple of turnovers here and there and them getting a couple of offensive rebounds and really executing off of those. That really just built into us not getting into our flow during offense."
On the frustration of missing shots…
"I work on it every day. Once you get back on defense, you have to wipe it away. They were coached really well and they were executing their offense. We had a couple of defensive missteps."
On positive things to take away from the game…
"As the first game against a top 10 team and our third game as a new group under Coach Buzz, I think we can take a lot from it. Coming into film tomorrow, going over everything that happened in the game, really just going over film. Taking all the good and bad from it and keep pushing on the good and learning from the bad."
Senior Guard Wendell Mitchell
On playing against Admon Gilder…
"I'm happy for Admon. He had a tough time here last year, dealing with his health and just being able to see him back out on the floor doing what he loves, it's special. If I was in his situation last year, I would have played the same way. To continue playing basketball somewhere, that's big."
Gonzaga Quotes
Head Coach Mark Few
On Gonzaga's ability to go on scoring runs…
"It was a combination of us not turning the ball over on the offensive end and sticking with the plan on defense. A&M played with some good rhythm, and we were a little bit tentative. Anton [Watson] made some really nice plays, and I thought the three Texas guys did great. Admon [Gilder] was terrific and Ryan [Woolridge] was special tonight."
On the team's slow start against the Aggies…
"We had our scrimmage earlier this season against Michigan State, but I would say that they [Texas A&M] are quicker, more athletic, and bouncier around the rim, especially [Josh] Nebo. We just had to recalibrate, have them listen to their coaches, and stick with the plan. They did a great job and executed well."
On Buzz Williams' ability to develop the Texas A&M program…
"It'll only be a matter of time. I've followed him wherever he's been. The way he evaluates and gets the type of guys that end up being way better than anyone else thought. Obviously, at Virginia Tech his teams were tough as nails and highly competitive. You didn't want to run into them in the NCAA Tournament. There's no question. This is home for him, and he'll get this thing rolling. It just takes time."
Senior guard Admon Gilder
On his return to Aggieland…
"It means a lot to me. I consider this place my second home and being able to be back here in front of my family means a lot. At the end of the day, I'll always be an Aggie. I'm a Zag at the moment, but it was a great game, and I want to thank everybody for supporting me."
Senior guard Ryan Woolridge
On how Gonzaga adjusted to A&M's physicality:
"We had to adjust to the whole thing, including their double-teaming on our bigs. We just had to adjust to their defensive scheme and then figure out the easy play… not just to make a home run play every time but keep moving it around and something would eventually open up."
