Operation blackout at Reed Arena.

It doesn’t get much better than that on a Thursday night in college basketball, as Texas A&M hosted Oklahoma State in an early-season Power 4 matchup, taking care of business in front of the home crowd for an 88-69 win.

Josh Irving stepped up off the bench after forward Cade Phillips missed the game with an injury, and a couple of his teammates got into early foul trouble. In 20 minutes, the freshman forward led the team with 12 crucial points and also grabbed four rebounds, tied for the most. He finished with 14 points in 23 quality minutes.

“I've known Josh for a long time,” Oklahoma State head coach Steve Lutz said. “He's a great player and will be a great player for you guys. He's long, athletic, and made a three. Coach Bucky has a good one with that freshman.”

Kansas State transfer PJ Haggerty once again found himself in double digits for the third time as he continued his tenure with the Maroon and White on another hot streak, playing a season-high 31 minutes with 22 points, two rebounds, and two assists.

Two Physical Halves

Last time A&M started the first half, it wasn’t pretty from beyond the arc, but it cleaned up quickly after three 3s in the opening two minutes.

Guard Jordan Pope opened the scoring with a three, giving the Aggies an early lead. Forwards Jalen Shelley and Zach Clemence each canned a three, but the defense gave up the lead after a brief 7-0 run by the Oklahoma State offense that put them up 12-9.

It started with guard Anthony Felesi drawing the whistle early on, then converting on both his free throws. Guard Kashie Natt then scored the next five points after burning a jumper, a free throw, and a layup.

Things started to come together after Irving checked in when forward Mackenzie Mgbako got into foul trouble and had to head to the bench. The Pasadena, California native went on to have one of his best segments of the season, drawing a handful of fouls and nailing one free throw before making a spectacular slam after a steal that fired up the 12th Man.

"Every game is a ladder for me," Irving said. "Every game, I get more comfortable, and now my game is starting to shine."

Irving went on to make a few more free throws that sparked the 13-3 run the Aggies went on at the 16-minute mark. During that span, Clemence went to work with two free throws before Haggerty finished the run with six points.

A&M’s defense kept getting tested early, with a handful of baskets exchanged as Felesi and Natt stayed in the middle of the action.

There weren’t a ton of good-looking shots from three for Oklahoma State after going just 3 of 16 from three at intermission, but what kept them competitive was the ability to continue to draw contact where they were 12 of 16 at the line, with eight of the 12 successful free throws going to both Felesi and Natt.

The Maroon and White finished shooting 55 percent from both the field and from three-point range, going to break. Each of the six 3s came from a different player: Haggerty, Pope, Clemence, Irving, Shelley, and Rylan Griffin each had one.

"We had some players really step up and make some big shots," McMillan said. "They shot 6-for-30 from three, and we shot 12-for-25. If that's flipped, they probably win. Good players matter most, and we had some good players tonight."

A 6-0 run opened things up for the Aggies after halftime, as back-to-back 3-pointers by Clemence extended the lead to 56-39. The Cowboys then galloped back with a 7-0 run of their own.

Six of the next eight points in the books went to the Aggies.

The 6-foot-1 guard, Jacob Walker, made four of the next six points for the Cowboys before, in the blink of an eye, there was an 8-0 run where all points were credited to guard Kanye Clark after two 3s forced McMillan & Co. to call a timeout.

That span put Oklahoma State in a better position as it was a 68-60 game with under ten minutes left. A&M went five minutes without a field goal but capitalized on defensive fouls with a 6-0 run, knocking down free throws before Griffen and Pope cashed in on a triple.

The Aggies handled business in the final five minutes, going on a 7-0 run and allowing only two more points in the last 3:53.

Wrapping the night up, A&M shot 51 percent from the field, 48 percent from three, and 71 percent from the charity stripe.

"It wasn't pretty, but like I said last year, we're not here to win Oscars, we're here to win basketball games," McMillan said. "That was a great win for us."