Rashaun Agee’s 21-and-13 and a late Aggie surge powered Texas A&M past Pitt on the road for a second straight ACC win and a big-time booster.
Texas A&M walked into the Peterson Events Center and slapped another quality win on its growing resume, knocking off Pittsburgh 81-73 on Tuesday night in a game that felt like March for long stretches.
The Aggies made it two straight victories over ACC opponents and handed Pitt just its second home loss of the season, powered by a monster performance from senior forward Rashaun Agee, who put up 21 points and 13 rebounds in a relentless double-double.
A&M came in with clear strengths, bombing threes, living at the free-throw line, and forcing turnovers, and while the numbers weren't quite at their national averages, they were good enough to tilt the night.
The Aggies hit nine 3-pointers, knocked down 20 of 22 free throws, and forced 11 Panther turnovers, constantly keeping Pitt uncomfortable.
The tone was set early.
Sophomore guard Ruben Dominguez and junior Mackenzie Mgbako sparked a 10-1 opening run with a pair of threes, picking up right where A&M left off against Florida State.
Pitt guards Omari Witherspoon and Barry Dunning Jr. did their best to answer, combining for nine of the Panthers' first 10 points to keep it tight, but Agee closed the half with a personal highlight reel - a layup, a smooth mid-range jumper, and a vicious dunk - sending A&M into the locker room up 35-33 despite shooting just 39.4 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from deep.
In the second half, it looked like the Aggies might step on Pitt's throat. They built a 57-45 lead before a technical foul swung the momentum.
A&M got loose on defense, and Pitt exploded for a 15-0 run to go up 61-57, flipping the building and putting the Aggies on their heels.
That’s when the veterans punched back.
Kansas transfer Zach Clemence snapped the drought with an old-fashioned three-point play, and Rylan Griffen, quiet most of the night, calmly took the lead back with a layup and two clutch free throws.
From there, A&M closed on a 17-10 run, locking in defensively and owning the glass.
The final numbers told the story with a 22–14 edge in defensive rebounds, 14 offensive boards, 15 fast-break points, 17 points off turnovers, and 32 points in the paint. That's toughness, that's depth, and that's a team starting to look dangerous.
Texas A&M now sits on seven wins and heads back on the road Sunday, Dec. 7, for another televised test at SMU on ESPN2.