Dominguez, depth carry Texas A&M past Northwestern State 98–68 in opener

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Ruben Dominguez scored 18 points to lead a deep Texas A&M attack, as the Aggies controlled the glass and tempo to beat Northwestern State 98-68 on Monday night to open the season.

Dominguez went 5 of 8 from the field and 4 of 7 from behind the arc, pacing an Aggie rotation that produced 53 bench points and 22 assists. Rylan Griffen added 13 points, while Josh Holloway sparked the backcourt with 13 points on 5 of 6 shooting. Forwards Rashaun Agee (12 points) and Federiko Federiko (8 points, 8 rebounds) supplied a strong interior punch.

A&M shot 49.5% overall, going 11 of 31 on 3-pointers, won the boards 44-32 and piled up 48 points in the paint. Their Aggie pressure flipped 16 Demon turnovers into 24 points and an 18-9 second-chance edge. Up 56-35 at halftime, the Aggies opened the second half with a Dominguez right-wing 3-pointer and a Federiko run-out dunk off a steal to keep control.

Northwestern State’s Micah Thomas netted 28 points on 9-of-16 shooting, making all four of his 3s and six free throws. Omar Adegbola added 14 but the Demons were held to 39.5% shooting.

A&M’s guards dictated pace — Griffen and Holloway combined for eight assists and five steals — and the frontcourt depth wore the Demons down, with 17 offensive rebounds fueling put-backs and kick-out 3s.

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