East Texas A&M Stuns Oklahoma in Historic Season-Opening Upset

East Texas A&M Stuns Oklahoma in Historic Season-Opening Upset originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

East Texas A&M walked into Oklahoma’s home arena as a 28.5-point underdog. It left with a 68-64 win, the first victory in program history over a power-conference opponent and the second-largest point-spread upset in Division I men’s basketball over the past 30 years, according to ESPN Research.

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The Lions’ breakthrough came in just their fifth season at the Division I level. They controlled much of Monday night’s game, built a 34-25 halftime lead and stretched their advantage to 16 early in the second half. Oklahoma rallied to tie the score at 60, but East Texas A&M answered with the plays that decided the opener.

The Lions Had an Answer When Oklahoma Made Its Run

Bo Aldridge put East Texas A&M back in front with a basket with 2:33 remaining. Mohamed Diakite followed with two free throws and a dunk, helping the Lions build a six-point cushion. Oklahoma pulled within 66-64, but East Texas A&M secured the final rebound and Aldridge made two free throws to finish the upset.

Aldridge led all scorers with 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting, adding five assists and three 3-pointers. Alonzo Dodd also made his mark from beyond the arc, hitting five 3s on his way to 15 points. Diakite chipped in 15 points, seven rebounds and three steals.

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The result marked East Texas A&M’s first win over a current SEC opponent. The Lions also opened their season with a Division I victory for the first time since moving up to the level.

MORE: Gonzaga finally solves Purdue as Davis Fogle delivers breakout opening-night performance

Oklahoma’s Slow Start Became the Story

The Sooners’ struggles began before halftime. Oklahoma made just one field goal over the final 6:53 of the first half and shot 29.6% from the field before the break. The Lions then opened the second half with three 3-pointers to push the lead to 16.

Oklahoma…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/east-texas-m-stuns-oklahoma-152928875.html

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Publish date : 2026-11-03 15:29:00

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