News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
NORMAN, Okla. – Behind a career-high 34 points from Zhuric Phelps, including a late 3-point dagger, the No. 10 Texas A&M men’s basketball team rallied from an 18-point second-half deficit to down the No. 17 Oklahoma Sooners, 80-78, on Wednesday at the Lloyd Noble Center.
Playing without injured four-year starter Wade Taylor IV, the resilient Aggies improved to 13-2 overall and 2-0 in SEC play, while the Sooners fell to 13-2 and 0-2. It was the Aggies’ fourth win over an AP Top 25 opponent this season.
Phelps, the senior transfer from Midland, Texas, found scoring success from close and far as he connected on 11-of-25 shots, including a career-high six from deep, and was perfect on six free throw attempts. He poured in 28 points in the second half alone with all six of his treys coming in the second stanza.
After battling to get within nine points of the hot-shooting Sooners at the break, the Aggies quickly found themselves in dire straits as OU went on a 12-3 burst to force a Texas A&M timeout before the first media timeout of the second half. The timeout was well-spent as the Aggies made the next three buckets for an 8-0 run that made it a 10-point deficit before OU called a timeout less than two minutes later.
The Aggies got the deficit to single digits with 12:06 remaining and pulled within eight points seven times with OU always responding with an answer, usually in the form of a 3-pointer. With 8:10 remaining, however, the Aggies turned an 11-point deficit into a one-point lead over a three-minute span. Solomon Washington’s dunk assisted by Hayden Hefner after a steal gave the Aggies their first lead at 71-70 with 5:10 remaining.
A clutch three-pointer from Jace Carter and a tip-in and free throw by Andersson Garcia pushed the Aggies’ lead to five points with 2:49 but the Sooners would not go quietly. OU went on a 6-0 run to grab a one-point advantage with 1:05 left, but it was Phelps’ long-range dagger with :19 seconds remaining that provided the winning margin.
Joining Phelps in double figures were Washington with 11 points and Pharrel Payne with 10. Carter played a huge role in the rally as he chipped in all nine of his points in the second half. Washington paced the Aggies with six rebounds while a trio of Aggies had five – Phelps, Henry Coleman III and Garcia.
The Aggies overcame a huge offensive night from the Sooners, who connected on 54.3% of this field goal attempts, including a sizzling 58.3% from beyond the arc (14-of-24), and 82.4% of their free throws (14-of-17). The Aggies did it by winning a 32-27 rebound advantage, including a 17-8 bulge on the offensive glass. The Aggies protected the ball with just nine turnovers while generating 18 take-aways from OU that led to 30 points off turnovers.
The Sooners hit nine first-half 3-pointers on their way to a 39-30 halftime advantage. Down by as many as 14, the resilient Aggies closed half on a mini 6-1 run to get the deficit back to single digits. Hefner led the Aggies with seven points, while Phelps and Washington chipped in six points. Ten offensive rebounds and 11 trips to the free throw line (with nine makes) kept the Aggies within shouting distance of the Sooners.