Texas A&M wins third straight, hammers South Carolina to remain atop SEC
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Texas A&M was barely challenged on Saturday during its game against South Carolina, cruising past the Gamecocks 92-69 to ensure it would end the day in at least a tie at the top of the SEC standings.
Zach Clemence had a team-high 21 points, all from beyond the arc, as the Aggies won their third straight game to move to 16-4 overall and 6-1 in league play. Rylen Griffen added 16.
South Carolina built a 14-7 lead with 13:17 to go in the first half. But a Ruben Dominguez three-pointer put Texas A&M ahead 21-19 with 8:52 left in the frame.
The Aggies would remain in front the rest of the way, increasing their first-half lead to as much as 45-21 with a minute to go until the break behind a 24-2 run that lasted nearly eight minutes. In the second half, the advantage grew to as many as 32 points with 12:30 to go in the game as the Gamecocks would get no closer than 16 points.
South Carolina, which has now lost five of its last seven, was led by Meechie Johnson, whose 26 points led all scorers.
The Aggies travel to Georgia on Saturday. The Gamecocks host Florida on Wednesday.
Saturday’s game was moved up two and a half hours from its original 3:30 p.m. ET to 1 p.m. due to winter weather conditions anticipated for the area.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
