Friday, November 17
College Station
7 p.m.
Texas A&M
84
vs
65
UCSB
Photo by: Sam Craft/Texas A&M Athletics
Hogg's Big Night Helps Basketball Down UCSB in Home Opener
Nov 17, 2017 | Men's Basketball
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — DJ Hogg scored 19 of his 24 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half, and No. 16 Texas A&M won its home opener going away 84-65 over UC Santa Barbara on Friday night.
Max Heidigger scored 24 points as the Gauchos stuck around after the Aggies built an early 16-point lead. But Hogg's strong second-half kept UCSB from mounting a challenge.
A&M's junior forward scored 19 of A&M's 24 points to open the half, helping the Aggies stretch the lead to 70-47.
Hogg led four starters in double figures as Tyler Davis had 14 points, all in the first half, Admon Gilder had 13 and Tonny Trocha-Morelos scored 10.
The Aggies (2-0) came out hot to start the game, making 69.2 percent of their shots and all four 3-point attempts while building a 26-14 lead with 11:50 to go in the first half.
A&M finished the game shooting 50 percent overall (30 of 60) and on its 3-pointers (11 of 22). UCSB shot just 36.7 percent (11 of 30) in the first half, but finished at 42.6 percent (26 of 61)
The Gauchos (1-2) had started the season taking care of the ball, combining for a 36-to-14 assist-to-turnover ratio in a win over North Dakota State and a close loss at Pittsburgh.
However, A&M forced them into seven first-half turnovers, turning those into nine points and that played a part in the Aggies' 46-32 halftime lead. The Gauchos finished the game with 12 turnovers to just 10 assists.
The Aggies also made 12 turnovers, but they assisted on 20 of their 30 baskets.
"It's a good win. I think their team, Santa Barbara, they're going to have a good season. I like their team. I thought they played well against Pittsburgh and gave themselves an opportunity to win at Pitt so I'm really thankful for the win. I thought we shared the ball, 20 assists is a lot of assists. We shared the ball. We had DJ [Hogg] going, taking big shots and shooting with confidence."
On team chemistry...
"We look good offensively. I thought we really moved the ball. I thought the intensity defensively in the first half was really good and again, unselfish play is something that if we can continue to do that, we'll continue to win games."
On going to Brooklyn to play at the Barclays Center…
"Great opportunity for us in Brooklyn playing on the East Coast against a really good Oklahoma State team. I think Oklahoma State, they've had some dominating wins with a new coach and [are doing] a lot of good things defensively. Offensively, they have a lot of weapons. I really believe that Oklahoma State will be the best team we've played up to this point. It's a good stage for our team to get some exposure and for our team to know what we can do and who we can become."
"I started off pretty slow actually. I wasn't shooting too much. I was trying to let the game come to me. Then, in the second half, I made a couple of shots. My teammates kept finding me, so I got hot. They kept giving it to me, so I kept shooting it."
"It's real easy, especially when they're hot. When it's the second half pushing up the floor like you know you've got DJ [Hogg] streaking, he just hit three in a row. Or when Tyler [Davis] gets hot, you just go right in the post. Tyler's just pretty much an automatic bucket or a foul every single time. It's the same was as Admon [Gilder]. So, it also takes a lot of pressure off of me. I had a little assist game, but it's easy getting assists playing with those three guys."
"All the past 24/48 hours that we've had the opportunity to study Texas A&M, [we've seen that] Coach Kennedy is such an incredible coach and what an incredible team that he's put together here. I know a couple of guys were missing, but I really feel Texas A&M has a chance to be a Top 10 team in the country when their guys get back. Very, very well-coached, play so hard and for us, to be able to have the opportunity to get better tonight. I thought we did get better tonight, playing against such a talented team."
On tonight's game...
"I think when you're out there coaching and you see the shots they make just from the perimeter, tough shots, all their guards. DJ Hogg, to me, he's a first round draft pick. He's a stud. He's just as good as there is. I can't believe there's a better guy with size and ability to shoot in America than DJ. Tyler Davis just watching him on film, he looks like the best big guy in the country, just brute power. It's not very easy to guard them because they have such a great inside/outside combination. Again, I thought our guys competed for a full 40 minutes and that's all we ask of them every single game and I'm proud of how they competed."
Max Heidigger scored 24 points as the Gauchos stuck around after the Aggies built an early 16-point lead. But Hogg's strong second-half kept UCSB from mounting a challenge.
A&M's junior forward scored 19 of A&M's 24 points to open the half, helping the Aggies stretch the lead to 70-47.
Hogg led four starters in double figures as Tyler Davis had 14 points, all in the first half, Admon Gilder had 13 and Tonny Trocha-Morelos scored 10.
The Aggies (2-0) came out hot to start the game, making 69.2 percent of their shots and all four 3-point attempts while building a 26-14 lead with 11:50 to go in the first half.
A&M finished the game shooting 50 percent overall (30 of 60) and on its 3-pointers (11 of 22). UCSB shot just 36.7 percent (11 of 30) in the first half, but finished at 42.6 percent (26 of 61)
The Gauchos (1-2) had started the season taking care of the ball, combining for a 36-to-14 assist-to-turnover ratio in a win over North Dakota State and a close loss at Pittsburgh.
However, A&M forced them into seven first-half turnovers, turning those into nine points and that played a part in the Aggies' 46-32 halftime lead. The Gauchos finished the game with 12 turnovers to just 10 assists.
The Aggies also made 12 turnovers, but they assisted on 20 of their 30 baskets.
POSTGAME NOTES
RECORDS & SERIES NOTES
- No. 16 Texas A&M improved to 2-0 on Friday night at Reed Arena, defeating UCSB 84-65 during the Aggies' home opener.
- A&M has now opened its home schedule with a victory for the 17th consecutive season.
TEAM NOTES
- Texas A&M looked comfortable playing for the first time out on its home court this season, shooting 50 percent from both the field (30-for-60) and beyond the 3-point line (11-of-22).
- Additionally, A&M was 13-for-17 from the free-throw stripe (76.5 percent) as balanced scoring saw four Aggies reach double-figure scoring.
- The Aggies carded 20 assists on 30 made field goals in the contest.
- Texas A&M used the starting lineup combination of Duane Wilson, Admon Gilder, DJ Hogg, Tonny Trocha-Morelos and Tyler Davis for the first time this season (1-0).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Junior forward DJ Hogg fell just one point shy of matching his career-best scoring total, finishing with 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting … the Plano West HS product is now shooting 62.9 percent from long distance through two games this season … Hogg also added six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal against the Gauchos.
- Joining Hogg in double-digit scoring were Tyler Davis (14 points), Admon Gilder (13 points) and Tonny Trocha-Morelos (10 points) … Gilder also chipped in a game-high seven assists.
- Billy Kennedy is now 117-85 during his seven-year tenure at Texas A&M and 328-264 in 20 seasons as a head coach.
UP NEXT
- The Aggies are back on the road after the home opener, traveling to Brooklyn, N.Y., to take part in the 2017 Progressive Legends Classic at Barclays Center. Texas A&M will open its run at the tournament by facing former Big 12 foe Oklahoma State at 6 p.m. (CT) on Monday before facing either Penn State or Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
POST GAME QUOTES
TEXAS A&M HEAD COACH BILLY KENNEDY
Opening Statement…"It's a good win. I think their team, Santa Barbara, they're going to have a good season. I like their team. I thought they played well against Pittsburgh and gave themselves an opportunity to win at Pitt so I'm really thankful for the win. I thought we shared the ball, 20 assists is a lot of assists. We shared the ball. We had DJ [Hogg] going, taking big shots and shooting with confidence."
On team chemistry...
"We look good offensively. I thought we really moved the ball. I thought the intensity defensively in the first half was really good and again, unselfish play is something that if we can continue to do that, we'll continue to win games."
On going to Brooklyn to play at the Barclays Center…
"Great opportunity for us in Brooklyn playing on the East Coast against a really good Oklahoma State team. I think Oklahoma State, they've had some dominating wins with a new coach and [are doing] a lot of good things defensively. Offensively, they have a lot of weapons. I really believe that Oklahoma State will be the best team we've played up to this point. It's a good stage for our team to get some exposure and for our team to know what we can do and who we can become."
TEXAS A&M JUNIOR FORWARD DJ HOGG
On his game tonight…"I started off pretty slow actually. I wasn't shooting too much. I was trying to let the game come to me. Then, in the second half, I made a couple of shots. My teammates kept finding me, so I got hot. They kept giving it to me, so I kept shooting it."
TEXAS A&M GRADUATE GUARD DUANE WILSON
On how easy his teammates make his job on the court…"It's real easy, especially when they're hot. When it's the second half pushing up the floor like you know you've got DJ [Hogg] streaking, he just hit three in a row. Or when Tyler [Davis] gets hot, you just go right in the post. Tyler's just pretty much an automatic bucket or a foul every single time. It's the same was as Admon [Gilder]. So, it also takes a lot of pressure off of me. I had a little assist game, but it's easy getting assists playing with those three guys."
UCSB HEAD COACH JOE PASTERNACK
Opening statement..."All the past 24/48 hours that we've had the opportunity to study Texas A&M, [we've seen that] Coach Kennedy is such an incredible coach and what an incredible team that he's put together here. I know a couple of guys were missing, but I really feel Texas A&M has a chance to be a Top 10 team in the country when their guys get back. Very, very well-coached, play so hard and for us, to be able to have the opportunity to get better tonight. I thought we did get better tonight, playing against such a talented team."
On tonight's game...
"I think when you're out there coaching and you see the shots they make just from the perimeter, tough shots, all their guards. DJ Hogg, to me, he's a first round draft pick. He's a stud. He's just as good as there is. I can't believe there's a better guy with size and ability to shoot in America than DJ. Tyler Davis just watching him on film, he looks like the best big guy in the country, just brute power. It's not very easy to guard them because they have such a great inside/outside combination. Again, I thought our guys competed for a full 40 minutes and that's all we ask of them every single game and I'm proud of how they competed."
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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