CONWAY, S.C. – The No. 24 Texas A&M men’s basketball team fell to the Colorado Buffaloes, 103-75, in the second round of the Myrtle Beach Invitational on Friday at the HTC Center on the Coastal Carolina University campus.
The Aggies struggled from the field offensively and were unable to slow down the Buffalo attack that connected on 57.6% of their shots, including 50.0% from the 3-point line. Texas A&M, which fell to 2-2, was up 14-12 at the 13:43 mark of the first half but the Buffaloes (3-2) took control of the game after that as they surged to a 21-point lead at halftime and never looked back.
Offensively, the Aggies had three players in double figures in points with junior Hayden Hefner posting a team-high 13 points in just over 19 minutes of action. Freshman Solomon Washington and junior transfer Julius Marble paced the team with five rebounds. Graduate Tyrece Radford was perfect again from the free throw line with a 4-of-4 effort and has made 16 straight free throws dating back to the Abilene Christian game.
The Aggies will finish play at the MBI with a 3:30 p.m. contest on Sunday vs. the loser of the Boise State-Loyola Chicago (8:30 p.m./Friday) . The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Texas A&M Coach Buzz Williams – “We had not near enough competitive character. We gave up 88 points yesterday, Murray State shot 50 percent from the field. Today 103 points, Colorado shot 58 percent from the field. What we want to be about and what we want our identity to be about and what we’ve practiced before we came here has not been evident since we’ve been here. I don’t have the answer, I understand I’m responsible for trying to figure out that answer and will be held accountable. The tenets on what our defense is built on, we haven’t executed at any level since we’ve been here. We need our defense to help our offense and we’ve been doing it or trying to do it in an inverse way. At this level that won’t work. Whether there is defense or not, to shoot 58 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3, whatever level of defense that would be considered, it’s not near good enough.”
Texas A&M Men’s Basketball Postgame Notes
Colorado 103, Texas A&M 75
HTC Center (Conway, S.C.)
RECORDS & SERIES NOTES
Texas A&M fell to 2-2 on the season after dropping game two of the Myrtle Beach Invitational to Colorado, 103-75.
The Aggies’ all-time record against the Buffaloes moves to 9-10.
TEAM NOTES
- The Aggie bench combined for 42 points.
- Texas A&M used the starting lineup combination of Dexter Dennis, Wade Taylor IV, Solomon Washington, Henry Coleman III and Tyrece Radford for the fourth time this season (2-2).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Junior guard Hayden Hefner led the team with a season-high 13 points, logging double figures for the fourth time of his career.
- Freshman forward Solomon Washington scored in double digits for the first time of his career with 12, while also hauling in a career-high five rebounds.
- Senior guard Tyrece Radford went 4-for-4 at the charity stripe to extend his streak to 16 consecutive free throws.
- Junior guard Khalen Robinson collected a career-high three steals.
- Junior forward Julius Marble tallied double-digit points for the second straight game after finishing with a season-high of 12.
Story by Brad Marquardt/Texas A&M Communications