Texas A&M
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (11/02/2026) — The Texas A&M Aggies never trailed and never let up Monday night, rolling past the Alabama State Hornets 97-66 at Reed Arena in front of 6,740 fans. PJ Haggerty scored a game-high 22 points and Jalen Shelley posted a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double as Texas A&M shot 48 percent from the floor and forced 25 Alabama State turnovers in a wire-to-wire win that featured zero lead changes and zero ties.
How It Happened
Jordan Pope opened the scoring with a free throw at the 18:41 mark of the first half, and the Texas A&M Aggies held the lead the rest of the way. Alabama State hung around early — Paul McMillan IV's 27-foot three-pointer off a Tre Powell assist cut the margin to 11-9 at 14:03, and Mike James answered a Zach Clemence triple with a 25-footer of his own to keep it at 16-13 with 12:17 left in the half.
From there, Texas A&M steadily pulled away. Pope buried a 25-foot three off a Jalen Reece assist to make it 27-20, Cade Phillips followed with a dunk, and Phillips threw down another one-foot slam off a Shelley assist to stretch the lead to 34-22 inside of four minutes. Haggerty's layup in the final 65 seconds sent the Aggies into the break up 44-29.
Alabama State opened the second half with energy — James drilled a 28-foot three off a McMillan assist on the first possession — but Texas A&M answered with a barrage from deep. Mackenzie Mgbako hit from 28 feet, Haggerty connected from 23 off a Mgbako assist, and Pope's 25-footer at 14:56 ballooned the lead to 56-34. McMillan kept firing for the Hornets, hitting from 25 and 29 feet to trim the deficit to 65-49, but every Alabama State push drew an immediate response in a game that produced 16 made three-pointers.
Turning Point
The decisive stretch came late in the second half, when the Texas A&M Aggies ripped off a 15-0 run — their biggest of the night — to turn a comfortable lead into a rout. Shelley bookended the surge, throwing down a two-foot alley-oop dunk from Tyshawn Archie at 3:39 to make it 84-62, then splashing a 28-foot three off a Pope assist at 2:10 that pushed the score to 92-62. Archie added a 24-foot triple of his own in between, and by the time Noah Benny answered from 27 feet in the final 30 seconds, the outcome had long been decided. Josh Irving's free throw with 24 seconds left set the final at 97-66.
The deeper story was ball security. Alabama State committed 25 turnovers to Texas A&M's 11, and the Hornets shot just 33 percent from the field against the Aggies' 48 percent. Alabama State actually edged Texas A&M on the glass, 44-43, but the empty possessions proved impossible to overcome.
Star of the Game
Haggerty led all scorers with 22 points and three rebounds, repeatedly punishing Alabama State in transition and from the perimeter. Shelley was nearly as impactful, stuffing the box score with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists while serving as a connector on both ends — he assisted Phillips' first-half dunk and set up multiple second-half threes. Pope added 17 points, including three triples, and Mgbako chipped in 12 points and five rebounds for a balanced Texas A&M attack.
For the Alabama State Hornets, McMillan IV scored 17 points with three assists, and James added 16 points on a night when both guards showed range well beyond the arc. Isaiah Barganier contributed eight points and six rebounds, and Benny finished with eight points on a pair of deep threes.
What It Means
The Texas A&M Aggies got exactly what they wanted from this early-season home date: four players in double figures, a plus-14 turnover margin, and extended run for the rotation in a 31-point win. The combination of perimeter shooting — 35 percent from three — and relentless pressure defense gives Texas A&M a template to build on as the 2026-27 schedule stiffens.
The Alabama State Hornets leave College Station with clear takeaways of their own. The backcourt duo of McMillan and James proved it can score against a power-conference defense, and the Hornets held their own on the boards. Cleaning up the 25 turnovers will be the priority as Alabama State moves forward, because the shot-making and rebounding effort were there even on a tough night.
