News Release from Texas A&M Athletics:
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – Fueled by four players in double figures, the Texas A&M men’s basketball team built a big early lead and then held off Mississippi State down the stretch for a 75-69 victory over the Bulldogs in front of a crowd of 8,163 at Reed Arena on Wednesday.
It was the second straight SEC win for the Aggies, who improved 8-9 in conference play and 17-13 overall. For the Bulldogs it was their third straight loss as they fell to 19-11 and 8-9. The Aggies never trailed in the game after opening with the first seven points of the contest.
The Aggies built a double-digit over the final three minutes of the first half and took a 45-32 advantage into the locker room. The Maroon & White came out on fire in the second with a quick 10-0 spurt that pushed the lead to 23 points just three minutes into the second stanza. But the Bulldogs wouldn’t go away and surged back to within single digits on the strength of a 15-0 run.
The Bulldogs would eventually draw within three points with 2:21 remaining but clutch buckets by juniors Manny Obaseki and Wade Taylor IV and a flurry of rebounds by sophomore Solomon Washington iced the game for the Aggies.
Obaseki, in his second game as a starter, led the team with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting including a pair of 3-pointers, while Washington chipped in 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting with nine rebounds. Also hitting double figures were graduate Tyrece Radford with 14 points and eight rebounds on Senior Night and Taylor with 13 and six assists.
Once against the Aggies were able to limit their turnovers to single digits with nine giveaways for the game. Texas A&M improved to 12-2 when suffering nine or fewer turnovers this season. The Bulldogs managed just nine points from the nine turnovers, while the Aggies tallied 18 points off 12 MSU turnovers.
Texas A&M had a solid shooting night, hitting 47% from the field and 38% from beyond the arc. The Aggies also earned 20 free throws and scored 15 points from the charity stripe. Texas A&M’s last two opponents have failed to reach double digits in free throw attempts (13 total by Georgia and Mississippi State).
GAME NOTES:
ANDY’S COMING: SEC rebounding leader Andersson Garcia pulled down four rebounds vs. the Bulldogs, which raised his season total to 279 and his total in conference games to 167. On the school’s full season rebounds list, Garcia leap-frogged Bryan Davis (277 in 2009-10) and Robert Williams (277 in 2017-18) into fifth place. On the conference-only list, he jumped Jeff Overhouse (166 in 1973) and moved into tie at No. 3 with Ronnie Peret (167 in 1967)
MANNY’S O: Manny Obaseki recorded his second game as the high point leader with 17 and has now had three consecutive games scoring more than 10 points. This is the first time in his career that he has put three in a row with double-digit points. Over the past three games, Obaseki is averaging 13.3 points/3.3 rebounds/2.0 assists.
DOUBLE DIGIT AGS: Four Aggies scored in double-digits for the first time since Feb. 20 against Arkansas. The Maroon & White were led by Obaseki who recorded 17, followed by Solomon Washington with 15, Tyrece Radford and Wade Taylor IV who scored 13.
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL: Texas A&M capitalized off Mississippi State turnovers scoring 18 points off the 12 turnovers. The Aggies only turned the ball over nine times and are now 12-2 when they have nine or less turnovers in a game.
THIN MARGINS: While the Aggies never trailed against Mississippi State, the Bulldogs did pull within three points with 2:21 remaining in the game. It marked the 14th time this season that the Aggies have been involved in a one-possession game after the under 4:00 media timeout. The M&W improved to 7-7 in those games.
NET UPDATE: Tonight’s NET Quad 2 victory was the Aggies’ 19th Quad 1 or Quad 2 game of the season. Texas A&M improved in 10-9 in those games, including six Quad 1 wins. Entering the game, the Aggies were No. 55 in the NET while the Bulldogs were No. 33.
POSTGAME QUOTES
Head Coach Buzz Williams
On tonight’s performance…
“In the first half, we had great tempo and controlled the things that we could. We did a lot of good things and arguably the best thing we did was when they missed, we got the rebound. The connectiveness, communication, preparation and fight they all do to prepare for the games doesn’t go unnoticed. We had four guys in double figures and new guys have been a part of this game that doesn’t happen often.”
On the style of game play …
“We have had more turkeys in the last three games than any other three game stretch. We have done a better job guarding the ball, guarding without fouling. I think when we can keep the ball in front and we can defend without fouling, it comes down to getting defensive boards. I think they have answered the bell over the last week and that’s encouraging.”
Forward Solomon Washington
On the tempo of the game…
“That was one of our key focuses coming into these games. We wanted to get the ball out quick and not let them get their half-court defense set. We tried to emphasize moving the ball across the court to set up our offense and getting those turnovers and making shots helped in our early lead.”
Graduate Tyrece Radford
On playing his final game at Reed…
“It was amazing, and I am still soaking it all in. All the feelings haven’t hit me yet and the realization that this was my last game hasn’t kicked in. It’s crazy to think about it being the last time on the court and in front of this crowd.”