COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Northern Kentucky men's basketball team fell at No. 8 Texas A&M on Tuesday evening by a final score of 64-58. With the loss, NKU is now 7-5 on the season, while the Aggies improved to 10-1.
 
 
STATS LEADERS

• Drew McDonald had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
• Jordan Garnett scored 15 points, including 13 in the second half.
• Lavone Holland II added 12 points, six rebounds, and seven assists.

 
TURNING POINT

• The Norse cut the Aggies' lead down to three points with 21 seconds left, but Texas A&M converted enough free throws down the stretch to preserve the 64-58 victory.

 
FIRST-HALF SUMMARY

• Trailing 11-6, the Norse went on a 6-0 run to take a 12-11 lead at the first media timeout.
• Texas A&M battled back and led by as much as nine in the half, but the Norse cut the Aggies' lead to 29-23 at halftime.
• The Norse held Texas A&M to no points over the final 4:21 of the frame.
• NKU went 11-of-34 (32.4) from the floor and just 1-of-15 (6.7%) from behind the arc.
• Texas A&M shot 13-of-33 (39.4%) on field goals and 2-of-11 (18.2%) from three-point range.
• The Norse scored 20 of their 23 points in the paint.
• McDonald led the Norse with nine points in the half, and Holland and Carson Williams each added six points.

 
SECOND-HALF SUMMARY

• The Norse kept things close during the early part of the second half and took a 42-41 lead with 9:15 remaining in the game thanks to a Garnett three-pointer.
• Texas A&M took the lead back and extended its advantage to seven points with 3:53 to play.
• The Norse cut the Aggies' lead to three points with 21 seconds left on consecutive threes from Holland and Garnett, as well as a transition layup by Garnett.
• But, NKU couldn't get any closer, as Texas A&M converted enough free throws down the stretch to get the 64-58 victory.
• Garnett scored 13 points in the second stanza on 5-of-7 shooting, including a 3-of-3 performance from behind the arc.
• NKU shot 12-of-29 (41.4%) in the second half and 6-of-13 (46.2%) from behind the arc.
• Texas A&M went 10-of-29 (34.5%) on field goals and 0-for-9 from the three-point line. 

 
GAME NOTES

• NKU finished the game 23-of-63 (36.5%), and Texas A&M shot 23-of-62 (37.1%).
• The Norse committed just nine turnovers in the game, compared to 12 for the Aggies.
• NKU held Texas A&M to just 2-of-20 (10.0%) shooting from beyond the arc. TAMU entered the game shooting 39.4 percent from three on the season. The Aggies 10 percent shooting was the best 3-point shooting percent defensive effort by the Norse this season.
• The Norse also limited D.J. Hogg to four points on 1-of-8 shooting, including 1-of-7 from three. Hogg came in averaging 15.7 points on the strength of 54.1 percent shooting from long range.
• The Norse shot just 5-of-12 (41.7%) from the free throw line.
• McDonald's double-double is his fourth of the season and second in a row.
• Garnett's 15 points match his career-high, which has been achieved three times now this season after also hitting the mark against James Madison and Memphis 

 
 
NEXT UP

• NKU begins Horizon League play by hosting IUPUI on Thursday, Dec. 28. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at BB&T Arena. Northern Kentucky is undefeated at home this season, sporting a perfect 5-0 mark.