Texas A&M (4-2) played its best game of the season on Friday night, defeating Manhattan 109-68, scoring the most points in a game since 1989, while hitting a record 16 3-pointers behind international sharpshooter Rubén Dominguez’s record-breaking 10 3-pointers, which wasn’t a shock for first-year head coach Bucky McMillan.
This offseason, McMillan revealed that Dominguez, who hails from Spain, made 73 consecutive threes during one of the Aggies’ practices, declaring the sophomore the “best shooter” he’s ever witnessed, and after hitting 13 3-pointers during the first five games, Dominguez lived up to the immense hype in a performance that looked effortless from start to finish.
Thirty points off 10 3-pointers likely won’t be topped this season, unless it’s by Dominguez himself, but this win was a team effort, featuring four double-digit scorers. At the same time, seniors Jacari Lane and Marcus Hill continue to look like one of the better guard duos in the SEC after combining for 31 points and nine assists.
Star transfer forward Mackenzie Mgbako made his debut, but it was short-lived after just four minutes, while finishing 0-2 from the field. This was strategic, given that McMillan wanted to avoid setbacks during his recovery. However, I’d expect his minutes to ramp up during next Tuesday’s home matchup vs. Mississippi Valley State.
After the game, Bucky McMillan, Rubén Dominguez, and Marcus Hill spoke to the media. Here is everything they had to say.
Dominguez on his record-setting performance
“I knew at some point that I was going to have a seven or eight three game. My teammates were trying to find me, so shoutout to them. It takes time, but it was going to come.”
Hill on Dominguez’s performance
“It feels like he’s in a video game. I was like is this for real? I’m proud of him, it was amazing to see. I see this every day in practice. I knew it was going to come.”
Dominguez on playing within the “Bucky Ball” system
“This is how we’re supposed to play. We knew they were going to break, and that happened today. We lost that the last few games, but we got back to that tonight.”
McMillan on Friday’s shooting success
“I felt like we were on the wrong side of variance shooting the ball. We were shooting it well below what we were shooting. Tonight is much more what we are shooting the ball. This is just the standard of how we should make threes.”
McMillan on living up to the standard
“This is indicative of who we are shooting the ball. Full 40 minutes of sustained effort. We’ve got to get back to who we are. Being us and living with it.”
McMillan isn’t surprised by Dominguez’s record-setting performance
“I saw him make 73 in a row and 75 the next day in practice, so I joked with him how did he miss four today? He’s one of the best shooters in the world. He’s capable to get hot.”
Texas A&M is a high-variance team, and tonight’s win proved that
“I told you there will be nights you watch this team where you think we’ll never lose again, and there will be nights where you think we’ll never win again. Tonight was one of those nights, like how does this team lose if Rubén keeps making threes?”
McMillan on Mackenzie Mgbako only playing four minutes
“He pulled himself out of the game because it was hurting him a little bit. He was so amped up to play. Our trainer thinks he’s good. He should be good.”
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Everything Texas A&M HC, two players said after 109-68 win
Reporting by Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
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