Box Score COLLEGE STATION, TX – Senior guard Eric "EJ" Eaves tossed in a game-high 23 points, while teammate Edward Stephens added 18 but it wasn't enough as the Bulldogs fell short, 83-76, of knocking off SEC opponent Texas A&M Saturday night at Reed Arena.

SC State had four players in double-figures along with Eaves and Stephens. Junior forward Tashombe Riley and senior guard Greg Mortimer each tossed in 10 points each, while freshman forward Ian Kinard posed a solid effort with eight points and eight rebounds.

Stephens found his rhythm against the Aggies nailing a game-high six of his field goals from behind the arc. SC State was 12-of-23 from three-point range.

"I'm proud of the fight," South Carolina State head coach Murray Gavin said. "Coming from where we've come from this season, there's definite growth, that's something we can build off of."
 
The Aggies (7-2) was hot out the gate, making six of their first eight field goals to hold an early 14-8 advantage over the Bulldogs at the 14:33 mark of the first half. A&M used a 17-4 run to stretch its lead to 26-10 with 9:24 remaining in the first half as SC State was held scoreless for 6:10 between baskets.
 
SC State (2-7) would heat up though, sinking seven of its next nine shots to cut A&M's lead to 33-27 with 5:06 left in the half. The Aggies led 48-31 during intermission.
 
The second half opened with a back-and-forth battle, with SC State using a 12-0 run in a two-and-a-half-minute span to cut the A&M lead to 61-52 with 12:20 remaining in the game as the Aggies did not make a field goal for just over three minutes.

The Aggie defense struggled in the second half as the Bulldogs made 17-of-32 shots (53 percent) in the final 20 minutes. SC State also outscored A&M 45-35 in the second half but fell short down the stretch.

Up next South Carolina State returns to action on Tuesday (Dec. 13) when they return to the Palmetto State to take on their second ACC opponent of the season the Tigers of Clemson University in a non-conference matchup at Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000). Tip-off is 7 p.m. and will be televised live on ESPNU

For more information on South Carolina State Athletics visit www.scsuathletics.com or call the Office of Athletic Media Relations at (803) 536-7060.