Texas A&M, led by Elston Turner's 16 first-half points and 26 overall, defeated Houston 70-59 on Saturday night in Hofheinz Pavilion.
The Aggies (6-1) led 42-24 at halftime before Houston climbed back in the contest by slicing Texas A&M's lead to 62-54 with 2:09 remaining. But Turner, a senior guard and team leader, tallied 10 points, including two 3-pointers, in the final 4:52 to hold the Cougars at bay.
J.J. Thompson led the Cougars (5-2) with 16 points, and Jherrod Stiggers followed with 12.
Texas A&M post players Kourtney Roberson and Ray Turner chipped in 14 points each, and Alex Caruso notched a game-high seven assists.
The Aggies doubled up the Cougars on offensive rebounds, 14-7, and won the overall rebounding margin 40-26. The former Southwest Conference members collided at Hofheinz for the first time since 2003.
