PJ Haggerty exploded for 22 points in 20 minutes, Jordan Pope poured in 19 points in 19 minutes and Texas A&M cruised to a 108-67 victory over Louisiana-Monroe on Monday night at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas.
The Aggies (3-0) led the entire game, with Tyshawn Archie adding 12 points and Zach Clemence contributing 10 to round out the scorers in double figures. A&M overwhelmed ULM inside with a 52-22 advantage in points in the paint. The Aggies also showcased their depth with a 53-28 edge in bench points, and outscored ULM 23-4 in fast-break points.
The Warhawks (1-2) couldn’t keep pace all night, turning it over 21 times and shooting 33.8% from the field. Quaran McPherson finished with a team-leading 16 points while Khalil London added 12 points. Dayjaun Anderson, who averaged 21.5 points the first two games, finished with four points and eight rebounds.
The Aggies separated themselves with a 14-2 run midway through the first half. The stretch featured 10 points scored by Pope and ended with a dunk by Cade Phillips for a 40-15 lead at the 5:01 mark.
The Aggies closed the half on a 6-0 spurt, capped with Haggerty’s driving layup to the basket in the final seconds. That play pushed A&M to twice as many points as ULM, 54-27, going into the break.
A similar storyline ensued in the second half.
The Aggies didn’t let up, taking their first 30-point lead on a 3 by Neiko Mundey for a 78-48 edge with 11:48 left. Following a TV timeout, Archie drained another 3 for the Aggies to extend the lead to 81-48 with 11:16 left.
A&M hit the 100-point mark with a couple of free throws by Rylan Griffen with 4:23 left. The Aggies finished the game shooting 52.1% from the field, and also knocked in 23-of-29 free throw attempts.
Up next, A&M hosts Oklahoma State on Thursday while ULM is in a back-to-back stretch with a game at TCU on Tuesday.
