Credit to Brad Marquardt | Assistant Athletics Director for Athletics Communications – 12thman.com
COLUMBIA, Mo. –Tyrece Radford poured in 22 points and Wade Taylor IV added 18 as the Texas A&M men’s basketball team moved to above .500 in SEC for the first time this season with a 79-60 win over the Missouri Tigers on Wednesday at Mizzou Arena.
With the team’s second straight SEC road victory, the Aggies improved to 14-8 overall and 5-4 in league play, while Missouri fell to 8-15 overall and remained winless in SEC play at 0-10. The win also gave the Aggies a sweep of the season series with the Tigers.
Radford, a graduate from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, hit 8-of-15 shots from the field and 5-of-6 free throw attempts as he logged his second straight 20-point plus game. Taylor, a junior from Dallas, hit 7-of-16 shots while also distributing three assists and grabbing four steals. Junior transfer Jace Carter chipped in 12 points. For the game, the Aggies shot 47.6% from the field and 78.9% from the charity stripe. The Aggies’ effort at the free throw was their best of the SEC schedule..
The Aggies were completely dominant on the glass, earning large advantages in offensive and total rebounds. Texas A&M earned 40 rebounds for an 18-board advantage over the Tigers, including a 16-to-5 lead in offensive caroms.
Senior forward Andersson Garcia was active on both ends of the court, pulling down eight offensive and eight defensive rebounds as he finished with 16 boards, which was his second highest total of his career. The native of Moca, Dominican Republic stuffed the statsheet as he also dished out a game-high five assists, scored seven points and blocked two shots.
Once again, the Aggies did a good job of valuing the basketball as they gave up just seven turnovers. Texas A&M has suffered 10 or fewer turnovers in seven straight games.
The Aggies closed out the first half with a stifling defensive display as the Maroon & White didn’t allow a Tiger field goal for the final 7:54 of the period. The only points allowed by the Aggies were a pair of free throw with 13 seconds remaining. Texas A&M took a 13-point lead into the break at 38-25 as the Aggies closed down the first half on a 16-2 run.
GAME NOTES:
ALL OVER ANDY: Andersson Garcia was all over the glass tying his career-high in blocks with two and racking up 16 rebounds, 8-of-16 offensive. Garcia was averaging 8.5 rebounds going into tonight’s game and 3.9 offensive boards. The Moca, Dominican Republic native was also productive on the offensive side dishing out a career-high five assists.
20-PIECE: Tyrece Radford scored 22 points to record back-to-back games with 20 or more points. This is the first time he has scored 20 points in consecutive games since scoring 21 points against Ohio State (11/10) and SMU (11/14). The Aggies are now 11-1 when Radford scores 20 or more.
JUST KEEP WINNING: Texas A&M swept their first mirror opponent this year and they are now 5-4 in SEC play. This is the first time they have been over .500 in conference play this season and they are one-of-eight teams in the SEC with a winning record in conference play.
COAST-TO-COAST: The Aggies forced 12 Tiger turnovers, eight of those steals, and capitalized by scoring 24 points off turnovers. Texas A&M gave the ball to Missouri only seven times and allowed nine points off turnovers.