Texas A&M Vs. Liberty: No. 19 Aggies Dominate In Season Opener

The Texas A&M Aggies, ranked No. 20 in the nation and gunning for a title in a wide-open Big 12, got their season off to a great start with an easy 81-59 victory over the Liberty Flames. The Aggies led 37-14 at halftime and put their defense on cruise control for the remainder of the game. The Aggies actually allowed Liberty to out-score them by one point in the second half.

Liberty settled for outside shots and tried to beat A&M with three-point shots early and often, but were unsuccessful as they shot just 5-21 from behind the arc. Texas A&M were dominant on the boards, grabbing 38 rebounds to Liberty's 23. Ray Turner led the Aggies with 20 points, while Elston Turner chipped in 16 and David Loubeau scored 14. John Sanders was Liberty's leading scorer with 18 points.

Aggies star Khris Middleton played only 10 minutes, going 3-5 shooting and scoring six points before he came out of the game with an injury. The severity of that injury is not yet known, but Middleton is almost universally regarded as A&M's best player and they will be seriously weakened if he is out for any extended period of time.