No. 12 Texas A&M Aggies Pummel Penn State Nittany Lions In ESPN Events Invitational

Henry Coleman dropped 24 points in a rematch of last season's NCAA's first-round exit

The winning ways continue on the court for Texas A&M. 

Henry Coleman scored 24 points and recorded a team-high six rebounds as the No. 12 Aggies bested Penn State 89-77 in the opening round of the ESPN Events Invitational on Thursday. Wade Taylor also scored 23 points and finished with a team-best six rebounds. 

“We've created a culture, a working culture," said Coleman postgame. 

Animosity went into Thursday's Thanksgiving festivities, mainly due to an unsettled situation in March. The Nittany Lions (4-1) defeated the Aggies (5-0) in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament 76-59 behind a 27-point outing from Andrew Funk. Jalen Pickett finished with 19 points, while Penn State combined for 13 3-pointers. 

The 3-point percentage played a factor in Thursday's win for both sides. A&M finished 5 of 14 from behind the arc, while Penn State finished 6 of 19. The Nittany Lions pushed back in the second half, but Taylor drained a long 3 to take a 10-point lead. 

The Aggies outscored the Nittany Lions 50-45 in the second half and finished 23-7 on second-point attempts. Tyrece Radford finished with 14 points and four boards. 

Texas A&M Aggies guard Wade Taylor IV (4) drives to the hoop against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the second half during the ESPN Events Invitational at State Farm Field House / Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

“My teams usually don't get punished in the paint,” Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said postgame. “It's something we have to get better at.”

The Aggies remain one of the nation's top programs around the rim, posting a 33-20 record. The Aggies also finished with more offensive rebounds, 12-7. 

A&M entered No. 2 nationally in offensive rebounds (19.3) and No. 11 in total rebounds (47.0). A&M shot 59.6 percent in the paint and 76.2 percent from the free-throw line. 

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“I think that a lot of what's happened on game day has been the reps that have led up to game day from practicing the things that we think translate the most to the game,” Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams said.

The Aggies will face No. 19 Florida Atlantic on Friday morning.