McMillan's Aggies run away with resume-boosting win in Tampa

Game #8: Texas A&M 95, Florida State 59
Records: Texas A&M (6-2, 0-0), Florida State (5-2, 0-0)
Box Score

That’s Bucky Ball.

Still early in Bucky McMillan’s first season, the Aggies (6-2) showed signs of growth and resilience with their win over Florida State (59) at the Battle in the Bay in Tampa on Friday, 95-59.

Even without starting guard Rylan Griffen, who missed his second consecutive game with the flu, the Maroon & White in their black script jerseys on Black Friday proved they can handle the step up in competition after three straight “buy” games.

Styles create matchups, but when two teams who play a similar style meet, you never know what you’re going to get.

Both the Aggies and Seminoles entered the game with top-20 scoring offenses, top 15 in average offensive possession length, top 15 in percentage of shots that came from 3-point land and top 15 in steal percentage defensively.

Both teams have first-year head coaches who hadn’t beaten a power conference team yet, but that changed emphatically in Tampa Bay.

A&M’s last trip outside of Reed was a splattering from the opening tip by Oklahoma State, but the Aggies were determined to bring an increased effort in all four phases of the game to correct that mistake.

Cooper Daniels, TexAgs

Rubén Dominguez shot 7-of-12 from 3-point range and finished with a team-high 21 points. 

Instead of waiting for both teams to feel each other out, the Aggies delivered the first punch, the second and the third. An 11-0 run to start the game set the tone, as Rubén Dominguez backed up his newfound nickname “Aimbot” with four triples in the first six minutes.

A&M built its lead all the way up to 28 at halftime, holding a top-20 scoring offense that was averaging 93.2 points per game heading into Friday to just 24 in the first half. That 52-24 would stand for the rest of the game.

If you’re looking for proof that this team is getting better every time they touch the floor, look no further than how they closed out this game. Against UCF, they blew a 12-point lead in the last 10 minutes and had no response for the Knights' comeback. Against Montana, they nearly blew a 19-point lead in the final six minutes and had no response for Money Williams going off. 

On Friday, the Aggies answered every single run with a run of their own. Even when a four-minute scoring drought and 11-0 run for the Seminoles brought the game to the closest second-half margin at 21 points, A&M didn’t panic.

The Aggies answered that run with their own 8-0 run, fueled by some steals and transition buckets, beating Florida State at its own game. All in all, they ended the game on an 18-4 run, erasing their late-game execution mistakes.

Bucky Ball’s style prevailed when looking in the mirror, an encouraging step in the right direction. There’s proof of concept now that McMillan’s team can beat power conference teams and dismantle them. 

The Aggies turned 16 Seminole turnovers into 21 points, made 15 three-pointers and won the rebounding battle 60-40. That’s how you impose your will on another team. 

Up next, the Maroon & White will face another test away from Reed Arena as they travel to Pittsburgh for the SEC-ACC Challenge to face Federiko Federiko’s old team, the Pitt Panthers, on Tuesday.