As the final buzzer erupted, a feeling of familiarity fell over Texas A&M.
Unlike the past eight games, it was a moment of appreciation — the men’s team’s talent and hard work was finally reflected on the scoreboard.
On Tuesday, Feb. 15, A&M broke through its own barrier and won a basketball game after falling eight consecutive times. In addition, Florida’s 4-0 win streak over the Aggies, dating back to the 2016-17 season, was crushed.
“I don’t think we have the best players. That’s because the head coach is not a good recruiter. But I’m their biggest cheerleader,” coach Buzz Williams said to open the post-game press conference.
“I’ve been a college coach for over 20 years and I’ve never been through what we’ve been through over the past 30 days,” Williams said.
Looking to switch things up from the past eight games, Williams swapped around the starting lineup, with freshman forward Javonte Brown and graduate guard Quenton Jackson gaining their first and second starts, respectively, of 2022.
Williams has not only talked about playing with intensity, but starting strong as well. From the jump, the offense was setting up, shots were created and things were looking up for the Aggies. Defensive efforts by the Aggies and the Gators shooting 22% from the field assisted in creating a 17-2 run in favor of A&M.
The first half ended with a 27-20 A&M lead, but the battle was far from over. In the second half, the Aggies had one job: to finish. Williams said he didn’t allow the team to sit at halftime because he wanted to keep the momentum flowing.
“We never took a seat at halftime,” Williams said. “We just started walking in circles like we were at the mall. I didn’t want to sit down. I wanted to keep going.”
In five of their last eight losses, the maroon and white have been within single-digit range and let the opponent walk away with the win. Likewise, the Gators were not going down with a fight. They managed to close the scoring gap with an 11-0 run, causing the Aggies to get uncomfortable while maintaining their composure.
“You just got to have faith in your guys at the end of the day,” Brown said. “It’s a game of runs. We played hard and we ended up coming back.”
With five minutes remaining, the Gators tied up the ball game, 45-all. The Aggies shot lights-out from the free-throw line, 100%, which kept the Aggies afloat. The SEC foes went back and forth until the final seconds.
With 20 seconds left, freshman guard Wade Taylor IV was fouled behind the 3-point line, allowing him to sink three free-throws and secure a one-point win over the Gators. Jackson said although it feels good to get a win, there is still more work to be done.
“It ain’t over,” Jackson said. “We still got a lot to do. The job is not done. Yeah, it’s exciting, but we still got a lot of work to do.”
Williams added that a losing streak is mentally tough on a team and he is proud of how they have reacted.
“I feel exhausted,” Williams said. “I feel humbled. I feel grateful. I’m thankful that our guys have the same emotional and mental fortitude to go through everything they’ve been through and respond the way they did tonight.”