[Miz+Zou]

COLLEGE STATION - Donald Sloan scored 17 points and B.J. Holmes added 16 as Texas A&M downed Texas A&M-Commerce, 89-65, in an exhibition game Thursday night at Reed Arena.
The Aggies had a slim 22-21 lead with 6:40 left in the first period, but closed the half with a 23-9 run to claim a 45-30 margin at intermission. A&M led by as many as 38 points in the second half.
Three other Aggies also scored in double figures as Bryan Davis had 10 points with 10 rebounds, Dash Harris scored 10 points with 7 assists and David Liubeau added 12 points and 9 rebounds. Holmes also contributed 7 assists.
Kevin Hayden paced A&M-Commerce with 12 points.
A&M out-rebounded the NCAA Division II Lions, 52-24.
The Aggies open the regular season on Nov. 13 against Angelo State at 7 p.m. at Reed Arena.
POSTGAME QUOTES
Texas A&M Head Coach Mark Turgeon "I thought it was great for our first night. We had 16 guys and tried to share minutes to rewards guys for working hard in practice.I was really pleased with the student turnout. We had over 2,500 students tonight. It's a goal of ours to get them to come out. They make all the noise and always give us good support. We were out of it to start the game. We couldn't make shots and were off defensively. It took us a little while to get out of it but our post defense got better as the game continued. We did have too many turnovers, though, and it seemed like we were always a half-second off on things. We also need to shoot more free throws, get to the line more. But overall, I was very pleased with our first night. This probably is the most athletic team I have coached. This team is fast. B.J. and Bryan are faster than people think. We are going to overcome a lot of things with our speed. We have the ability to be a great defensive team and a great offensive team as well."
Junior Guard B.J. Holmes "I think everyone came out anxious and it took a few minutes for the butterflies to go away. I just like winning and doing the little things to help the team win whether that's charges, steal, rebounds. Our young guys are new to the game but are progressing well." Senior Guard Donald Sloan "Playing tonight definitely got our energy levels up. It gets hard practicing against each other, against the same faces and the intensity level isn't the same as playing an opponent. It was a really good student turnout, they are going to be behind us all year just like they always have been. Our lack of size is something we will be able to counteract with our speed, agility and athletic ability. Coach Turgeon says defense is our identity. Being a smaller team is perfect for the way we like to play as we are able to really open up and spread out the floor better."