In a deadlocked slugfest of conference competition, Texas A&M men’s basketball gave Oklahoma a Texas-style welcome into the Southeastern Conference with a sweep of the series, thanks to a 75-68 victory.
“A&M is great at what they are great at,” OU coach Porter Moser said. “They don’t take nights off. They are physical and their physicality was so real,…our guys kept on battling but we have a small margin of error and that margin was too big on the glass.”
The action kicked off with big man action as junior forward Pharrel Payne secured the first possession for the Aggies, who, after a few brief exchanges with the Sooners, found themselves trailing 3-2 after senior guard Jalon Moore nailed a 3-pointer.
Narratives had to change at the charity line, where junior G Zhuric Phelps made it a point to address the free-throw woes early, dropping the first two of the game. Next up was graduate F Andersson Garcia, who knocked in one of his own.
By the game’s first timeout, the Sooners had taken a one-possession, 10-7 lead over the Aggies thanks to a strong presence from Moore. Following the brief break were a couple of free throws from graduate F Henry Coleman III, along with a timely jam under the basket.
Foul trouble loomed over OU sooner than it would’ve probably hoped, as A&M found itself in the bonus in the first six minutes of play. Both of the old Big 12 rivals muddled the paint as neither team seemed to break through a wall of bodies at the rim. However, Coleman was able to drop in another bucket, bringing his team within two.
What was surprising was the earlier efficiency of the Aggie free-throw shooting, starting 16 for 20 in the first half. Once Phelps finished dealing two more such shots, Garcia popped in a loose ball into the basket and quickly evened the score 14-14.
It was time for graduate G Wade Taylor IV to make his presence felt. On this occasion, he sailed a floater straight over a defender’s head, robbing Oklahoma of its lead.
Following that, Garcia once again took advantage of an opponent underestimating his skill beyond the arch, flying a three-pointer over Norman and into the basket for a 19-14 advantage.
The Sooners would not go away quietly, however, bringing the score back to a stalemate at 22 thanks to Aggie foul issues. A total of 22 fouls were called between both teams, the byproduct of a physical and aggressive play style from either end of the court.
While the A&M free throw percentage was an uncharacteristically high 80% at the half, the 3-point percentage was nothing short of abysmal, sitting at a meager 7.7% thanks to only one made shot out of a possible 13.
Nevertheless, the Aggies took a 31-30 lead into the locker room behind unlikely score leaders Garcia and Coleman, who scored nine and eight points, respectively.
The second half started the same way the first began: a Sooner foul. Phelps took advantage of this opportunity with a 3-pointer, igniting the Reed Arena crowd. The fire spread to the court as well, with Payne doing what he does best by scoring in the paint.
The Payne train ran down the Wellborn track again, as the Minnesota native dominated once more as both a rebounder and a reliable target to get the ball to the rim. In the absence of junior F Solomon Washington, it was ever more crucial that Payne play his best game in a starting role.
The one-man wrecking crew of Moore made sure to keep Oklahoma in the fight with his contribution of 20 points. In the blink of an eye, the score was 45-44 and A&M was in danger of losing its long-time lead. Seemingly like always, graduate G CJ Wilcher had something to say about the dire situation, continuing his tear of fast and all-too-necessary 3-point shooting with an apt strike to lasso some Texas-sized momentum.
Rebounding remained the one season-long constant for head coach Buzz Williams’ crew with Tuesday night being no exception, effectively outrebounding Oklahoma 47 to just 19. Additionally, all five Aggie starters reached at least 10 points.
A late-season breakout has been brewing for senior G Manny Obaseki, boiling over yet again in a powerful display of toughness en route to the basket in all four of his layups. In his starting role, he too did not disappoint with another double-digit performance.
“I work every day to do what’s best for me and my teammates, who have become my brothers,” Obaseki said. “Everything I do is for them, and we try to ride the ups and downs together. We need every game, we can’t lose at home, we have to win at home.”
A double-double was cooked up animal style for a lingering Payne in Oklahoma’s side. The giant from Cotton Grove was the third A&M player to reach double-digit points and second on the team in rebounding with 11 boards.
The Sooners had a second-in-command role filled on the court by graduate G Brycen Goodine, the terror of Jan. 8’s contest, with his point total sitting at 19 as his squad threatened to sway the 63-61 deficit in their favor. He soon became the commander-in-chief with 24 points, but not until watching as his team remained six points short of the lead with only 17.9 seconds to play.
Almost unbelievably, A&M’s free throw shooting proved to be a saving grace rather than a certain doom, finishing 29 for 35 and a shockingly impressive 82.9% mark on the night.
“We’ve prepared for this all year, we shoot 100 free throws every day, and we are blessed that everything came into fruition today,” Coleman said. “We found a couple of margins where we have excelled and look to continue this into the future.”
What has become easy to believe is another close game for the Maroon and White, as their last three bouts have been determined by a total of just nine points.
There was a little more breathing room for the Fightin’ Farmers this go around though as forced fouls by the Sooners only delayed their inevitable defeat, when the buzzer sounded and the night belonged to folks in College Station, 75-68.
The Aggies continue their conference stretch on Saturday, Feb. 1, at South Carolina, at 7:30 p.m.
