No. 12 Texas A&M beats Houston Christian 77-45
Texas A&M guard Zhuric Phelps (1) drives the baseline against Houston Christian guard Bryson Dawkins (9) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in College Station, Texas. Credit: AP/Sam Craft
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Hayden Hefner had 19 points and fellow guard Manny Obaseki scored 13 as No. 12 Texas A&M defeated Houston Christian 77-45 on Friday.
The Aggies (10-2) built a double-digit lead with 6:50 remaining in the first half on a tip-in by Jaelyn Lee and never glanced back. They shot 47% from the field.
Houston Christian shot a season-worst 2 of 20 from the 3-point line. D’Aundre Samuels led the Huskies (4-8) with 12 points, their only player in double digits.
The Aggies played without star guard Wade Taylor IV, who missed the contest with a minor injury and is expected back soon.
Takeaways
Texas A&M: This is the kind of game that has given the Aggies fits in the past, evidenced by a 67-62 home loss to Wofford two years ago. But this team continues to take care of business.
Houston Christian: The Huskies’ seven previous games all had been decided by seven points or less. This 32-point loss should help toughen the Huskies for the heart of Southland play, which cranks up in earnest on Jan. 4 at Lamar.
Key moment
Nearly three minutes into the second half, Hefner collected a steal, dribbled the length of the court, shrugged off a defender with a fake pass and finished with a slam dunk in lifting the Aggies to an insurmountable 41-23 lead. Texas A&M had only led by 12 points two minutes earlier.
Texas A&M guard Zhuric Phelps (1) goes to the basket past Houston Christian guard Bryson Dawkins (9) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in College Station, Texas. Credit: AP/Sam Craft
Key stat
The larger, hustling Aggies overwhelmed the Huskies down low, in more than doubling up the visitors in rebounding at 52-25.
Up next
The Aggies will have a few days to enjoy the holidays before hosting Abilene Christian on Dec. 28. The Huskies stay on the road and visit North Texas on Sunday.