No. 18 Texas A&M beats McNeese State 66-57

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Khris Middleton scored 13 points and No. 18 Texas A&M overcame a double-digit deficit to beat McNeese State 66-57 on Friday.

The Aggies (12-1) trailed 28-18 with 7:51 remaining in the first half, and 37-30 at halftime before mounting a comeback.

The Cowboys (8-5) led 44-39 with 14:28 remaining in the game before the Aggies went on a 14-3 run over the next 7 minutes to lead 53-47.

Patrick Richard and P.J. Alawoya paced McNeese State with 12 points each.

A&M guard Dash Harris drained a 16-foot jumper as the shot clock expired to give the Aggies a 60-53 lead with 2:10 remaining. B.J. Holmes quickly followed with a 3-pointer that iced A&M's ninth consecutive victory.

The Aggies, who shot 38.5 percent from the field (20 of 52), hadn't played since an 86-51 victory over Wagner on Dec. 21.

The Aggies allowed their most points by an opponent in a first half (37) this season, only to counter by allowing only 20 in the second half — tying their mark for fewest points in a half by an opponent this season.

A&M, which entered the game ranked fifth nationally in rebounding margin (plus 12.1), outrebounded smaller McNeese 36-30. A&M outscored McNeese 32-22 in the paint — a big difference in the otherwise statistically similar contest.

The Aggies did hold a sizable advantage at the free throw line, where they made 23 of 29, compared to 5 of 8 for the Cowboys.