Texas A&M basketball faced its toughest test of the young season Thursday night, defeating Oklahoma State 88-69 at Reed Arena to improve to 4-0 under first-year head coach Bucky McMillan.
The Aggies entered the matchup averaging more than 100 points per game after three comfortable victories. While the offense didn't reach that mark against the Cowboys, Texas A&M delivered another convincing performance against stronger competition.
PJ Haggerty led the Aggies with 22 points, shooting 7-of-14 from the field. Jordan Pope and Zach Clemence each added 14 points, while Rylan Griffen contributed nine points off the bench.
However,freshman forward Josh Irving provided one of the night's biggest highlights, recording his first career double-double with
14 points and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes. With Cade Phillips sidelined by a knee injury, Irving made the most of his expanded role, adding two assists, one steal and one block.
Defensively, Texas A&M held Oklahoma State to 30% shooting from the field and just 20% from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Aggies shot 51% overall and made 12 of 25 attempts from 3-point range. The victory marked Texas A&M's first win over Oklahoma State since 2017, snapping a two-game losing streak against its former Big 12 rival.
Here's what McMillan and Texas A&M players had to say following Thursday's victory.
Texas A&M head coach Bucky McMillan's initial thoughts after the game
"It wasn't pretty, but like I said last year we're not here to win Oscars, we're here to win basketball games. That was a great win for us. Josh Irving as a freshman was really good tonight. There's going to be highs and lows as a freshman, but everything he wants to accomplish here and beyond will happen if he keeps working, and all he does is work. He's going to be one of the really good players to play at Texas A&M. Great shot making by Jordan Pope and Rylan Griffen late, and PJ Haggerty getting to the free throw line."
Bucky McMillan on Josh Irving
"We call him the dolphin because when he comes to my house he swims for like 7 hours. There's just a kid like joy to him, and it's a joy to coach him."
Bucky McMillan on his message to the team before the game
"I told this to our players before the game. Last year in April we came here with nobody on the team but Chris. We had a lot of players we had to convince to come to Texas A&M without knowing anything, just on the belief of what we were telling them. We go to Oklahoma State last year and looked like we'd never win a game the rest of the year. But it's those guys who were here last year like Zach, Rylan, Mack, Jamie, and Chris were part of that group who turned it around. So the players who came here this year could see what success looked like. And now a year ago, I'm so happy for those guys to have success against these guys and win the game going away."
Bucky McMillan on the difference in the game
"We had some players really step up and make some big shots. They shot 6-for-30 from three and we shot 12-for-25. If that's flipped, they probably win. Good players matter most, and we had some good players tonight."
Texas A&M forward Josh Irving on his role in the game
"I tried to come with energy. It's contagious. Every time I got in the game, I was talking, loud, and encouraging my teammates, and we all brought it. Every game is a ladder for me. Every game I get more comfortable and now my game is starting to shine."
Josh Irving on why he picked Texas A&M
"I love the style of play here. This style really stood out to me. I'm a hard playing player and a great fit for this system and it's starting to show."
Texas A&M guard Jordan Pope on Josh Irving
"He's a big time talent who stepped up when his number was called. When Cade went down, he was ready for it. He got all of us going. When you're being a great teammate like that, you're rewarded by the basketball gods and he's a big reason why we won this game."
Jordan Pope on A&M performance
"We showed discipline. Some people may struggle going up in competition, but we had discipline with the scout, film, game plan, and trusting each other. We kept it about us, and it showed tonight. We have to keep that going this season."
Jordan Pope on beating Oklahoma State by double digits
"We haven't arrived yet, but it's a step in the right direction. I'm glad we were able to do that tonight."
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Everything Bucky McMillan, Texas A&M players said after OSU win
