March Madness: Tenacious defense lifts Texas A&M basketball to upset win over Saint Mary's
Texas A&M basketball is known for high-scoring wins and fast-paced action. However, Thursday, it was the Aggies' defensive effort that helped them advance.
OKLAHOMA CITY — If fans had been told before Thursday's game that Texas A&M basketball would score 24 points less than its season average, many probably would have thought its trip to the NCAA Tournament would be brief. Instead, the 10th-seeded Aggies delivered their best defensive game of the season, defeating seventh-seeded Saint Mary's 63-50. A&M forced 18 turnovers, including five in the first four minutes of the game and seven in the second half.
The 50 points they allowed was the fewest the Aggies have allowed since giving up just 45 against Houston Christian in December 2024. "It was an elite defensive game by our guys in every facet of the game," head coach Bucky McMillan said. "Sometimes we catch some teams when they're off.
I thought their shooters shot well. They shot 44% from three, made 10 threes, and we still had a double-digit victory. That means we did a lot of things well.
" MORE: Texas A&M basketball vs Saint Mary's: Aggies capture first round win over Gaels Texas A&M guards Jacari Lane (right) and Marcus Hill (left) reach in to try and steal the ball from Saint Mary's guard Joshua Dent during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament in Oklahoma City, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle) A&M rides suffocating defense to first-round win No Saint Mary's players finished the game with a positive plus-minus, and only two scored more than 10 points. The Gaels' star forward, Paulius Murauskas, entered the game averaging 18.
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