GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — KeVaughn Allen scored 31 points, Noah Locke added a career-high 27 and Florida used a flurry of 3-pointers to overcome a 13-point deficit and beat Texas A&M 81-72 on Tuesday night.
The Gators made 18 of 37 from behind the arc, including 11 of 15 in the second half, and set season highs in makes and attempts.
Allen hit 8 of 10, and Locke connected on 7 of 13. It was most combined 3-pointers for any two players in school history, topping the previous record of 13 set by Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton in 2012.
Florida (11-7, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) needed just about every one of them to rally against the Aggies (7-10, 1-5).
Texas A&M shot 55.2 percent from the field in the first half and made 7 of 11 from 3-point range, taking a 46-33 lead into the locker room that had to be concerning for Florida coach Mike White.
But the Gators clamped down on the defensive end after the break and got red shot from long range.
Allen and Locke kept getting open and kept making them. No other Florida player scored in double figures.
Wendell Mitchell led the Aggies with 25 points, including 17 in the first half. Jay Jay Chandler added 15 points for the road team, which has dropped three straight.
Florida hadn’t had a 20-point scorer all season, but got two on the same night. White’s offense has been hit and miss — and mostly miss — all season. But it looked unstoppable in the second half against the Aggies. The Gators shot 55 percent in the final 20 minutes.
Texas A&M Basketball Postgame Notes
Florida 81, Texas A&M 72
O’Connell Center (Gainesville, Fla.)
ABOUT THE GAME
- Texas A&M dropped to 7-10 on the season, 1-5 in SEC play after falling at Florida, 81-72, Tuesday night. The Aggies had a strong first half, but Florida controlled the second half, outscoring A&M 48-26 to position itself for victory.
- Junior Wendell Mitchell gave the Aggies a huge spark on the offensive end, recording his third 20-plus point game of the season before the first media timeout of the second half. Sophomore Jay Jay Chandler didn’t miss a shot in the first half, joining Mitchell in double figures in the opening period.
- The Aggies used an 11-3 run nearing the 12-minute mark, forcing Florida to call a timeout. The Gators got back within one but A&M responded with nine straight points to go up double figures, eventually taking a 46-33 lead into the break.
- Florida used a 13-2 run to start the second half and regain the lead before the midway point in the half.
- The Aggies hung around, getting back within two, but were unable to get over the hump.
TEAM NOTES
- A&M shot 64-percent from three and 55-percent from the field in the first half to take a 46-33 lead into the break, its first halftime lead since the Marshall game on Dec. 22.
- A&M’s 46 first half points surpassed the team’s point total in the loss to Missouri (43) and is the second most first half points the Aggies have scored this season.
- After seeing just two Aggies reach double figures in scoring in the loss to Missouri, A&M finished the first half at Florida with a pair of players surpassing the 10-point mark.
- The Aggies used the starting lineup of Jay Jay Chandler, TJ Starks, Wendell Mitchell, Savion Flagg and Christian Mekowulu for the fourth time this season (1-3).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Junior Wendell led the way with a season-high 25 points, recording his third 20-plus point game of the season.
- Mitchell drained a long three at the first half buzzer to up his total to 17 points in the opening period. He has scored at least 17 points in a complete game four previous times this season.
- Mitchell went 5-for-5 from beyond the arc in the opening period, matching his single-game season high. He finished with seven threes, tying the second best all-time single game total by an Aggie.
- Sophomore Jay Jay Chandler went 7-of-8 from the field as he finished with 15 points, 11 coming in the first half.
- Sophomore TJ Starks returned to double figures adding 10 points.
- Billy Kennedy is now 144-108 in his eight-year tenure at Texas A&M and 355-287 in his 21 seasons as a head coach.
UP NEXT
The Aggies will return home to take on Kansas State in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Saturday, Jan. 26. Tip is set for 1 p.m. Tickets are available here.
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics