FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) Jase Febres scored a season-high 17 points and Texas beat Texas A&M 60-50 on Sunday in the first meeting between the longtime rivals in four years and the second since the Aggies left the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference.
The Longhorns (8-1) won for the sixth time in the past seven meetings after Texas A&M ended a five-game losing streak in the series with a victory at a tournament in the Bahamas in 2015.
It was the first meeting on Texas soil since Texas A&M joined the SEC in 2012, and the second game at the new Dickies Arena two days after TCU played the first one in the venue not far from its Fort Worth campus.
Before their split, the Longhorns and Aggies had been in the same conference since 1917, starting with the Southwest Conference before the switch to the Big 12 in 1995.
Josh Nebo scored 16 points to lead Texas A&M (3-5), in its first season with Texas native Buzz Williams as coach. Emanuel Miller grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds and scored eight points.
Texas’ Andrew Jones was the game’s other double-figure scorer with 12. Courtney Ramey had seven assists to go with seven points.
Febres was 4 of 11 from 3-point range as Texas took more shots from outside the arc than inside. The Longhorns were 9 of 29 from 3 while finishing at 42% overall (23 of 55).
The Aggies had just 17 points at halftime, trailing 27-17, while shooting 48% for the game. After Miller pulled Texas A&M within six with a bucket in the second half, Febres hit a 3 to start a 10-2 run that pushed the Texas lead to 14.
RECORDS & SERIES NOTES
- Texas A&M fell to Texas, 60-50, Sunday at Dickies Arena to move to 3-5 on the season.
- Sunday’s contest was the 225th meeting between the two teams as Texas holds a 138-87 lead.
TEAM NOTES
- In the second half, Texas A&M shot 54.2-percent from the floor, it’s second highest mark in a half this season.
- The Aggies outrebounded Texas, 30-24, marking the first time the Aggies have outrebounded their opponent this season.
- Texas A&M used the starting lineup combination of Andre Gordon, Savion Flagg, Wendell Mitchell, Emanuel Miller, and Josh Nebo for the first time this season (0-1).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Emanuel Miller posted two career highs in rebounds (14) and points (8). The Scarborough, Ontario, native grabbed eight rebounds in the first half, tallying the most boards by an A&M player in one half this season.
- Miller’s 14 rebounds are the most by a freshman since Robert Williams grabbed 16 against Missouri on February 7, 2017.
- Josh Nebo led the Aggies in scoring with a season-high 16 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 from the line. Nebo has scored in double figures in five of the seven games he’s played in.
- The Houston native blocked three shots, moving his career total of 231, which ranks second in the NCAA among active players.
- Mark French dished out a career and team high five assists.
- Wendell Mitchell had four assists, marking a new season high.
- Buzz Williams is 3-5 in his first season at Texas A&M and 256-160 in his 13 seasons as a head coach.
UP NEXT
- The Aggies return to Reed Arena to face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi next Sunday at 5 p.m.
Head Coach Buzz Williams
On playing in Dickies Arena for the first time…
“I thought it was great. The arena was great. I thinking playing them was great. I felt like it was a rivalry.”
On the production from the forwards…
I thought today obviously his (Josh Nebo’s) production was the best he’s been. I thought from that position, it was the most production that we have had. He and (Jonathan) Aku were 9-of-12 from the field. That really helps our team. I thought their ball screen coverage, with as many ball screens as they set, was better than it has been all year long. We just need to count on them to do that and then continue to find more. Eman (Emanuel Miller) had 14 rebounds in 30 minutes. He had 14 of our 30, he had 14 and they had 24 total.”
On playing in low-scoring defensive battles…
“I want to score more points. I don’t think me or this team will win a beauty contest. I do know that as long as I’m here I won’t win a beauty contest because they’re not going to invite me but we shot 54-percent in the second half. And it was an even game and the second half. And they scored 23 baskets. They scored 23 baskets and 11 were in the charge circle, transition or offensive rebounds. And we held them to 41-percent for the game. But in essence 50-percent of their points came off our turnovers or their second shots. We did a lot better job on second shots. Did a much worse job on turnovers. And so none of that is aesthetically pleasing. We don’t get a shot and of our 21 turnovers, 15 were live. So the clock is turning and we give them the ball one way or another. And there goes the ball behind us. Of those 11 baskets, they were off one pass or zero passes. But for the game, they shot 41-percent. But 11 baskets were literally at the rim off our turnovers or offensive rebounds.
Senior Forward Josh Nebo
On the atmosphere of a rivalry game…
“I think it definitely felt physical, like a hard hitting game, no love loss or friends out there, just a tough physical game. As players you want to play against Texas. The fans want to see that. I feel that it is good for both schools, good for the state and, as you noticed, a good college basketball game.”
On facing the length of Texas defenders:
“Texas has a pretty long and physical and athletic front line, something that we definitely knew going into the game.”
On playing in Dickies Arena…
“I found it as a beautiful arena. One of the best arenas that I’ve played in my whole career. So it was definitely nice to play today and see the Texas A&M fans here.”
Freshman Forward Emanuel Miller
On hauling in a career-high 14 rebounds…
“We had a game plan and just needed to stick to the game plan. Doing anything I can to help the team is something that I’m going to do every single game. If they want me to take a charge, then I’ll take a charge. Whatever we have to do as a team, collectively, we’re going to do it and I’m going to do it as well.”