Aggies' relentless defense suffocates Sooners, forcing turnovers into points for a hard-fought SEC victory.
There are wins that sparkle and wins that grind. The Texas A&M Aggies picked the latter on Saturday and walked out of Reed Arena in College Station with an 83-76 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners, the kind of game that leaves both benches exhausted and one locker room smiling.
The headliner was Rashaun Agee, who delivered a classic grown-man stat line. Sixteen points. Twelve rebounds. Two blocks. Two steals.
No drama, just impact. It was the type of double-double that quietly changes the tone of a game while everyone else argues about calls.
Texas A&M improved to 13-3 overall and 3-0 in SEC play, and they did it the way Bucky McMillan teams prefer. Defense first, chaos second, buckets last.
Five Aggies reached double figures, which tells you everything about how this one unfolded.
Rylan Griffen and Ruben Dominguez scored 14 apiece, Pop Isaacs chipped in 13 off the bench, and Marcus Hill added 10.
The real separator was pressure. Oklahoma came in averaging just 9.5 turnovers per game, the fewest in the SEC. Texas A&M entered forcing 16.1 turnovers per game, the most in the league.
Something had to give ... and it gave loudly.
The Aggies turned 17 Oklahoma turnovers into 18 points, flipping defense directly into offense. Those steals and deflections did not just pad stats. They broke rhythm. They rushed decisions. They forced Oklahoma to play faster than it wanted to.
That mattered, even on a day when Nijel Pack went full microwave mode.
Pack scored 24 points, hit six threes, and passed the 2,000-point mark for his college career. Still, foul trouble slowed him late, and Texas A&M took advantage.
The game swung on runs.
The Aggies closed the first half with back-to-back bursts to grab a 48-45 halftime lead. In the second half, a 10-1 run over nearly four minutes pushed the margin to eight with under three minutes left. That was the knockout sequence.
This team travels well because defense travels. When Texas A&M forces turnovers at this rate, they don't need perfect shooting nights to win tough road and neutral games.
Up next, the challenge ramps up. Texas A&M heads to Knoxville to face the Tennessee Volunteers. If the Aggies bring the same pressure, the rest of the SEC is officially on notice.