GAME NOTES: In the opening game of the 2014 Puerto Rico Tip-Off, the Texas A&M Aggies go up against the Dayton Flyers at Coliseo Roberto Clemente.

Texas A&M hit the ground running this season, blasting its way to a 109-68 victory over Northwestern State in its season opener last Friday. The Aggies have been mediocre over the past two seasons, with finishes of 18-15 and 18-16, respectively.

On the other side, Dayton obviously had a much better finish last season, surprising a number of teams en route to a 26-11 record and a spot in the Elite Eight. The Flyers picked up where they left off in the season opener, easily getting past Alabama A&M in a 76-52 final.

The winner of this contest will take on the winner of Thursday's matchup between 17th-ranked Connecticut and the College of Charleston, with the losers of each game meeting up as well.

Dayton won the only previous matchup between these schools, taking an 81-66 decision on Dec. 21, 1999.

It appeared as if the Aggies could do no wrong against Northwestern State. They drilled 56.8 percent of their shots from the field in the contest, including an impressive 8-of-17 effort from 3-point range. In addition, they owned the boards (52-32), which was useful considering the visitors only made 36.2 percent of their total shots.

A number of contributors helped pave the way to 109 points in the contest. Jalen Jones and Antwan Space each netted 16 points as two of seven players to score in double figures for the Aggies. Jordan Green chipped in 15 to go with seven assists, Tavario Miler made all six of his shots and ended with 15 points as well. Meanwhile, Peyton Allen tallied 12 points and Kourtney Roberson and Avery Johnson each had 10. Alex Caruso didn't score much (two points), but he handed out eight assists and was credited with four steals.

Dayton was dominant in its opener as well, although to a lesser degree. The Flyers shot a respectable 47.1 percent from the field, including an 8-of-20 showing from 3-point range, and they took advantage of a number of chances at the free-throw line, sinking 20-of-29 attempts. A 40-27 advantage on the glass certainly helped the cause.

As far as individual performances go, no one had a better game than Dyshawn Pierre, who scored 16 points and came up a rebound shy of a double-double. Darrell Davis managed to rival Pierre and actually led the team in scoring, with 17 points off the bench, but he did no have a single rebound, while handing out only one assist. Kyle Davis scored 13 points, but missed all four of his 3-point tries. Scoochie Smith, Jordan Sibert and Devon Scott chipped in nine points apiece, with Smith adding eight assists and Scott hauling down 12 rebounds.

The level of difficulty will be ramped up for both squads in their second games. While the Aggies have a few solid players, the Flyers have too many proven winners on the roster to expect anything other than a victory here.