Zags rout Aggies in final Maui tune-up
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Zach Norvell Jr. scored 22 points, Rui Hachimura added 18, and No. 3 Gonzaga beat Texas A&M 94-71 on Thursday night.
Brandon Clarke had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Gonzaga (3-0), which won its first three games for the eighth consecutive season.
Savion Flagg scored 18 points and T.J. Starks 16 for Texas A&M (1-2). The Aggies went to the Sweet 16 last season, but suffered major losses to graduation and the NBA draft.
The Aggies were plagued by shooting in the 30 percent range most of the game.
Neither team shot well in the early going, and Gonzaga led 16-14 with 11 minutes left in the first.
The Aggies tied the score at 28, but Gonzaga went on a 15-5 run in the closing five minutes, including a pair of 3-pointers by Norvell, to take a 43-33 halftime lead. Hachimura and Norvell each scored 13 points in the first, while Texas A&M was held to 36 percent shooting.
Gonzaga opened the second half with a 14-4 run to build a 57-37 lead. The Bulldogs held off the Aggies after that.
Gonzaga now heads to the Valley Isle for the Maui Jim Maui Invitational at Lahaina Civic Center. The Zags face Illinois in the first round Monday.