Five thoughts on Texas A&M's win: Aggies overcome slow start behind big game from Danuel House

It was a slow start, but the Texas A&M Aggies lit up the burners midway through the first half before cruising to a 92-65 victory over the No. 14 seed Green Bay Phoenix.

Here are five thoughts from Texas A&M's 92-65 victory over Green Bay:

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1) Up-tempo start

The Green Bay Phoenix (23-13) held an eight point advantage midway through the first half at Chesapeake Arena in Oklahoma City thanks to a fast start on offense coupled with careless ball handling by the Aggies. The Aggies (27-8) committed nine turnovers in the first nine minutes of play, including six in a five-minute span, before settling down for the remainder of the half.

Carrington Love had three steals and five assists while Jamar Hurdle kept the scoreboard moving, shooting a perfect 5-of-5 for 11 points in the first 20 minutes of play to lead the Phoenix in scoring. The Aggies moved to the zone on defense and settled in, closing the half on an 11-2 run for an eight-point advantage of their own headed into the locker room.

The Phoenix entered the matchup with a top-five national ranking in steals (first), steals per game (3rd), points per game (4th), turnover margin (t-4th) and turnovers forced per game (5th).

They ran out of answers in the second half, unable to find the bottom of the net for extended periods of time, including a 3-of-20 stretch from the field.

2) Shaking off the rust

Only senior guard Anthony Collins had prior NCAA tournament experience entering Friday's game, playing in the big dance with South Florida before coming to A&M as a graduate transfer.

Junior guard Tevin Findlay gave the Phoenix a 22-14 advantage with a layup midway through the first half before the Aggies were able to turn it on and play up to their No. 3 seed expectations. A&M freshmen Admon Gilder and Tyler Davis put up seven quick points before Tonny Trocha-Morelos gave the Aggies their first lead since 14-13 with a rim rattling dunk.

From that point, scoring took off for A&M with the entire roster getting involved in the box score. Danuel House finished with a team-leading 20 points, followed by Trocha-Morelos and Tyler Davis with 15 and 12 respectively. Five players scored in double figures.

3) House fire

A&M senior Danuel House followed up a career-high 32 point performance in a loss to Kentucky with 20 points against the Phoenix in the NCAA's first round. If the remaining teams in the West region and across the rest of the bracket were somehow unaware of House's ability on the hardwood, they definitely know the drill going forward.

Whether he was driving the lane and converting and-one layups or dialing it up from distance to the tune of 2-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc, House certainly appears to feel calm and collected amidst the March Madness.

4) Hard in the paint

The Chesapeake Arena may be home to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but A&M owned the paint against its Green Bay opponent.

First year head coach Linc Darner's squad had no answers down low for the bulking bodies of the A&M roster. The 6-foot-10 Davis had seven rebounds as the Aggies outworked the Phoenix on the glass to the tune of 45-25.

Offensively, the Aggies doubled up and then some on the Phoenix in the paint, ending the game with a margin of 46-20.

5) Up next

In the second round, the Aggies will take on the winner of Texas and Northern Iowa. The Panthers will go for an upset after earning a No. 11 seed in the Missouri Valley Conference thanks to big wins over out-of-conference opponents such as North Carolina and Iowa State. Should Texas win, it will have the opportunity to avenge an 84-73 loss to the Aggies in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. The potential sweet 16 opponent will be either VCU, who upset Oregon State in the first round, or Buddy Hield and the Oklahoma Sooners.

Tip is scheduled for Sunday at a time to be announced.