National Basketball Association
Texas A&M 88, West Virginia 65
When: 6:00 PM ET, Friday, November 10, 2017
Where: Ramstein Air Force Base, Ramstein
Officials:
# Darron George, # Jeffrey Anderson, # Keith Kimble
Attendance:
3128
By The Sports Xchange
With Tyler Davis dominating inside, Admon Gilder and D.J. Hogg buried shots from the perimeter as No. 25 Texas A&M whipped No. 11 West Virginia 88-65 in Friday's season opener at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
Davis produced 23 points and 13 rebounds, leaving with 1:45 left to applause from a group of Air Force servicemen who waved a 12th Man towel.
Davis made 10 of 12 shots as Texas A&M shot 48.4 percent
Gilder poured in 23 points on 4 of 5 shooting from 3-point range and Hogg sank 4 of 6 from deep to finish with 19 points. The Aggies finished 10 of 19 from beyond the arc.
Beetle Bolden's 19 points off the bench led West Virginia, which ran out to a 13-point first-half lead before unraveling.
Preseason All-Big 12 point guard Jevon Carter had 13 points, seven assists and two steals, but the Mountaineers suffered their worst defeat in 72 games, dating back to a 78-39 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 loss to Kentucky in 2015.
Each team played without a suspended starter.
Texas A&M was missing potential lottery pick Robert Williams for a violation of team rules. While he can return to action next week, West Virginia will be without forward Esa Ahmad for a NCAA-imposed half-season suspension.
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins criticized his team for taking too many 3s in the preseason, only to watch them launch 40 -- third-most in school history -- while making just 12.
Texas A&M won the rebounding battle 47-35 and even produced a 10-7 edge in steals, an unheard-of stat during the era of "Press Virginia" full-court defense.
The pressure temporarily created havoc as West Virginia led 26-13. Then came a 6-of-26 shooting slump and the Mountaineers went nearly six minutes without a field goal. That fueled Texas A&M's 27-7 run that built a 57-40 lead.
The Mountaineers later suffered through a 1-of-16 shooting stretch when the Aggies' lead ballooned to 28 points.
Gilder, playing off the bench, added nine rebounds and seven assists in a strong all-around game for the senior.
NOTES: Texas A&M committed 18 turnovers but West Virginia finished with 16. ... The Mountaineers fell to 9-2 in season openers under Bob Huggins. ... Late in the first half, Aggies C Tyler Davis tangled with West Virginia's Sagaba Konate under the basket, resulting in off-setting technical fouls. ... Junior college signee Wesley Harris scored 12 points in his first start for the Mountaineers.
Top Game Performances
| Texas A&M |
|
West Virginia |
|
Tyler Davis 23 |
Scoring |
James Bolden 19 |
|
Admon Gilder 7 |
Assists |
Jevon Carter 7 |
|
Tyler Davis 13 |
Rebounds |
Maciej Bender 6 |
|
DJ Hogg 5 |
Free Throws Made |
Jevon Carter 4 |
|
Admon Gilder 2 |
Steals |
Jevon Carter 2 |
|
Tonny Trocha-Morelos 2 |
Blocks |
Sagaba Konate 4 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Texas A&M
|
88 |
48.4 |
10-19 |
16-20 |
22 |
45 |
5 |
10 |
18 |
| West Virginia
|
65 |
34.3 |
12-40 |
5-9 |
19 |
33 |
8 |
7 |
16 |
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