After an absolute debacle against Virginia in Charlottesville, the Aggies played nearly a flawless first half as they obliterated a really bad DePaul team 89-64. The final score was a lot closer than the game itself, as A&M had the game on lockdown just 15 minutes in.

The Aggies broke out of their shooting slump with a vengeance in the first half, hitting 65% of their shots from the field and making 11 of 18 3-pointers (61%). After a 17-0 run, the Blue Demons were ash. Even though they cooled off considerably after halftime, A&M still ended up hitting 53% of their shots from the field.

While the Aggies hit 11 3’s, DePaul made 10 baskets total. They turned the ball over 7 times, while A&M didn’t turn the ball over at all. They didn’t turn the ball over until there were 13 minutes left in the game, and finished with 4 total. DePaul, on the other hand, turned it over 15 times.

A&M made 7 of its first 8 3s, but the big story there was Jace Carter nailing his first three attempts. Carter came into the game shooting just 17% from 3-point range, but he hit 4 of 11 tonight. More importantly, he hit the ones he needed to to help the Aggies put the game away early. His 14 points led the team.

Wade Taylor, who showed signs of breaking out of his shooting slump during the road trip before having a terrible game against UVA, also hit his first three 3s and ended hitting 4 of 7 as he scored 13 points. Henry Coleman also scored 13 points and needed just one more rebound for another double-double. A player that got pounded on physically at times last year was overpowering in the post again tonight, knocking DePaul’s big men around for 5 offensive rebounds and several baskets right at the rim.

Hayden Hefner was another Aggie would would rather forget UVA, but he broke out as well. He hit 4 of his 8 shots, including a pair of 3s, to get his 10 points. He played more under control than he has recently, not forcing shots in the lane and letting the play come to him.

Andersson Garcia did his thing again tonight. He had 9 points on 3-3 shooting, including a 3, had 5 rebounds, a block and 2 steals. He has to be the best defensive player in the SEC. There’s just nobody else who impacts a game at the level he does without making a basket. When he scores, that’s just gravy.

It's going to be really interesting to see how Buzz Williams handles splitting up playing time at point guard behind Taylor once conference play starts. He’s leaned more towards Manny Obaseki recently, but freshman Bryce Lindsey got plenty of time tonight and responded well. he had 10 points, including a pair of 3s, and only turned the ball over once.

Obaseki also had 10, making 4 of his 7 shots. He also had 2 assists, but had 2 turnovers. The big difference between the two may be the +/-: A&M was +9 when Obaseki was on the court, but -7 when Lindsey was.

DePaul actually hit 55% of their shots for the game, but it was the quietest 55% ever. They only got off 42 shots and made 10 of 17 free throw attempts. A&M dominated the glass along with forcing the 15 turnovers, which allowed them to put up 66 shots.

A&M especially dominated on the offensive boards, pulling down 15 to DePaul’s 5. That led to 19 second chance points. A&M also had 38 points in the paint to just 28 for the Blue Demons.

DePaul wasn’t fast enough on their defensive rotations to keep up with the Aggies, which led to a lot of open shots from long distance. For once, the Aggies hit them routinely. Once A&M found the range, the game was over. And they found it early.

The Aggies won’t look at this game as one that really boosts their NCAA Tournament resume, but they may be able to look at this game as one that allowed them to feel better about themselves and get things going offensively. A much sterner test awaits Sunday afternoon when Memphis comes to Reed Arena.