COLLEGE STATION, Texas — After defeating Hendrix 71-39 in the season opener Friday, the Sugar Bears take to the road for the first time this season as they face No. 23 Texas A&M tonight at 6:00 at Reed Arena on SEC Network Plus.

The Aggies were 22-10 last season with an 11-5 mark in the SEC en route to their 11th straight NCAA Tournament appearance and 11th straight season with 20 or more wins under head coach Gary Blair – who has 717 wins (8th most among active coaches) during his career with stints at Stephen F. Austin and Arkansas prior to taking over at A&M in 2003.

A&M features two returning starters from last year's team in 5-foot-11 SEC All-Freshman forward Anriel Howard and 6-5 center Khaalia Hillsman. Hillman averaged 7.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last season while Howard averaged 4.6 and 6.5, and led all SEC freshmen in total rebounds during conference play.

Tough tonight's game is the regular season opener, the Aggies played one preseason exhibition, beating Oklahoma City 75-65 on Nov. 5. Howard had 17 rebounds in that game, while 5-7 junior guard Curtyce Knox had 13 assists and 5-10 freshman guard Danni Williams led the way in scoring with 19 points.

It will be the sixth game against an SEC opponent for the Sugar Bears, who have gone 2-3 with wins over Ole Miss in 2013 and Alabama in 2011. Last season the Sugar Bears lost to No. 4 Tennessee in the second game of the season. The Sugar Bears will be seeking their first victory against a ranked opponent, having gone 0-5 against Top 25 teams since moving to Division I.

The Sugar Bears opened their season Friday night with a 71-39 win over crosstown Division III foe Hendrix, with senior forward Taylor Strickland going for career highs of 23 points and 9 rebounds while senior guard Brianna Mullins had her fourth career triple-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds while also leading the team with 5 assists and 4 steals. Mullins is now just 9 points shy of becoming the 26th Sugar Bear overall and 7th in the program's Division I era to reach the 1,000-point milestone for her career.

Today's game will be the first of two on the road this week, as they follow with a trip to Alcorn State on Thursday before playing their next four in the Farris Center.