Credit to Brad Marquardt | Assistant Athletics Director for Athletics Communications – 12thman.com
BRYAN/COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The No. 21 Texas A&M men’s basketball team dropped a hard-fought 81-75 decision to the Memphis Tigers on Sunday at Reed Arena.
With the loss, the Aggies fall to 7-3, while the Tigers improved to 7-2. The loss snapped the Aggies’ 14-game home winning streak and was the team’s first home loss in nearly a year.
Junior guard Manny Obaseki came off the bench to pour in a career-high 21 points, including 16 points in the second half alone. He hit 7-of-13 shots, including a pair of treys and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Obaseki’s big night represented the team’s lone double-digit point total, but six other Aggies contributed at least six points including senior Hayden Hefner, junior Wade Taylor IV and junior transfer Jace Carter who all chipped in nine points.
Taylor IV led the team with a season-high eight assists and four steals, while senior Andersson Garcia was dominant on the glass as he matched his career highs in offensive rebounds (7) and total rebounds (14).
Down by nine points at halftime, the Aggies out-scored the Tigers 46-43 and got within two points at various times in the second half, but Memphis hit shots down the stretch to outlast the Aggies. The Tigers hit over 50% of their in the second half and 48.1% for the game. Memphis finished with a 37-35 advantage in total rebounds, but the Aggies continued their strong offensive rebounding with a 16-11 edge.
The Tigers took a 38-29 lead into the break after scoring the final nine points of the first stanza after the Aggies had knotted the score at 29-29 at the 2:41 mark.
GAME NOTES:
CAREER DAYS: Andersson Garcia was dominant on the boards as he tied his career-high in rebounds with 14 and offensive rebounds with seven. Garcia also had 14 rebounds against South Carolina in the 2022 SEC Tournament when he was at Mississippi State. He also had seven offensive rebounds against Ohio State earlier this season. Manny Obaseki racked up a career-high 21 points, 16 of those scored in the second half. This beat out his previous high game of 19 points against Northwestern State from his freshman season on Dec. 21, 2021.
BENCH DEPTH: The Aggie bench compiled more than half of the points by the Maroon & White, scoring 41 of the 75 points. They outscored the Memphis bench 41-to-21 while also outrebounding them 19-to-11.
TAYLOR’S BAG OF TRICKS: Wade Taylor IV recorded a season-high eight assists and has now led the Aggies in dishes in nine out of the 10 games this year. The junior guard also had four steals while leading Texas A&M to a season-best 13 steals.
POSTGAME QUOTES
Head Coach Buzz Williams
On the message to the team after the game …
“I think that they prepared great. I think our staff was great in preparation as well. They were excited to play. I think this week, if you count today as the first day of the week. I think this week is what we’re about to do for the next 10 weeks after Christmas. And so, this is good preparation for us emotionally and mentally.”
On Manny’s growth …
“Obviously, he was a big minute guy in the NIT year and then breaking his hand (last year) was hard for him. I think he’s just now getting into his groove. He’s been very mature and he’s been ultra-consistent in his work in the film room, in individuals, and in practice. So, I think some of that is coming to life.”
Junior Guard Manny Obaseki
On his point production in the second half …
“My teammates and coaches trust me to make the right play. So, I just did what I had to do. And my teammates put me in great positions to score the ball. But we came up short.”
Senior Guard Tyrece Radford
On the first home loss after 14 home wins in a row …
“I think this is just an awakening for us. We’re not going to do anything different. We’re going to prep for every game, same as we’ve been doing in the past. We’re not going to get in our head about it. We have to wake up tomorrow, come here, take care of our bodies, and practice or whatever the case may be.”