Aggies Men’s Hoops Holds Off Arkansas on the Road

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP)–Savion Flagg scored 22 points to lead Texas A&M to an 87-80 win against Arkansas on Saturday night.

Wendell Mitchell added 20 points for Texas A&M (12-14, 5-9 SEC), which has won four of its last five games and avenged a home loss to Arkansas (14-13, 5-9) on Jan. 5.

Daniel Gafford scored 16 of his 23 points in the second half and grabbed 13 rebounds for Arkansas, which has lost five straight. Sharpshooter Isaiah Joe added 20 points, but his 2-for-8 shooting from behind the arc stalled the Razorbacks’ comeback effort. Mason Jones scored all 11 of his points in the second half.

Arkansas pulled within two points with 8:21 remaining in the second half, but Flagg drilled a fastbreak 3-pointer and spurred an 11-2 run that essentially put the game out of reach.

That run included three consecutive layups from TJ Starks, whose acrobatic ability to find the basket through bigger defenders allowed him to finish over and around Arkansas’ players. By the time Jones scored a layup at the 2:13 mark, the Aggies’ lead was 75-64.

Flagg, who came into the game as the team’s third-leading scorer averaging 12.2 points, scored 13 in the second half as the Aggies survived strong second-half performances from Gafford and Jones.

Despite the Razorbacks’ best efforts to get the ball to Gafford within the final two minutes, the Hogs weren’t able to catch up.

Josh Nebo had 14 points and Starks finished with 11 for the Aggies, who outrebounded Arkansas 35-25.

Texas A&M Basketball Postgame Notes
Texas A&M 87, Arkansas 80
Bud Walton Arena (Fayetteville, Ark.) 

ABOUT THE GAME

  • The Aggies improved to 12-14 on the year, 5-9 in SEC play after holding on to earn their first SEC win in Arkansas, topping the Razorbacks 87-80.
  • After a back-and-forth start, A&M used a 13-2 run to go up 34-28 and forced Arkansas to call a timeout with 3:07 to play in the first half.
  • Arkansas scored the last nine points of the half, but Savion Flagg had a wide-open layup at the buzzer to give the Aggies a 38-37 lead at the break.
  • A&M never trailed in the second half. Despite letting Arkansas get back within one on three occasions midway through the half, the Aggies led by as many as 11 to hold on for the victory.

TEAM NOTES

  • A&M shot a season-best 58.3-percent from the field (28-48).
  • The win marks the first for the Aggies in Fayetteville since the 1986 season.
  • Knocking off Arkansas marks the second time this season A&M has earned its first road win at an SEC opponent after also claiming victory in Tuscaloosa earlier this year.
  • The Aggies used the starting lineup of Chris CollinsWendell MitchellBrandon MahanSavion Flagg and Christian Mekowulu for the fifth time this season (4-1).

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

  • Sophomore Savion Flagg led the Aggies in scoring and rebounding for the third straight game, putting up 22 points and grabbing nine rebounds.
  • Junior Wendell Mitchell added 20 points, reaching double figures for the sixth time in the last seven games.
  • Junior Josh Nebo had a strong first half putting up 11 points, going 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from the free throw line. He finished with 14 points.
  • Sophomore TJ Starks rounded out the double-figure scorers, adding nine of his 11 points in the second half.
  • Billy Kennedy is now 149-112 in his eight-year tenure at Texas A&M and 360-291 in his 21 seasons as a head coach.

UP NEXT
Texas A&M will remain on the road to take on nationally-ranked LSU in Baton Rouge on Tuesday, Feb. 26. Tip is set for 8 p.m.

Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics

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