The Aggies (10-8, 2-5 SEC) took to the hardwood for the second time this week, playing host to Georgia (12-7, 4-3 SEC) in what was sure to be a tightly-wound SEC matchup. The Bulldogs were let out early and suffocated the Aggies with full-court pressure. They quickly put up 6 points before allowing A&M on the board with the Aggies trailing for the majority of the game.
Sophomore Tyler Davis may have finally met his match with like-numbered 6-foot-8 Bulldog Derek Ogbeide. Georgia really packed the paint with Ogbeide and company to make sure Davis didn’t get a clear look at the basket. Despite Davis’ rebounding efforts he struggled offensively and didn’t find the net until 6 minutes into the second half. He emerged with 8 points and rebounds.
“We were missing a lot of easy buckets we should’ve made and they were capitalizing,” sophomore DJ Hogg said. “We know what we’re capable of. We just have to focus and play hard. Really we just kept believing that even though we were down we could come back. We kept believing and playing hard and the ball bounced our way.”
The teams hit the locker rooms with the Aggies just hanging in 39-29. It was obvious A&M had to get Davis open or hit some outside shots before this game got out of hand. Both teams went into halftime nearly statistically identical. The only outlier was the Aggies’ detrimental 37.0% field goal percentage.
“At half time I got pretty upset and I made everybody leave the locker room,” head coach Billy Kennedy said. “I was trying to be as patient and positive as I could but at half time I had seen enough. Missing free throws and not finishing baskets was hard to watch. I said, ‘you guys figure it out. It’s time for you to go up and each guy take ownership.’”
The beginning of the second half brought nothing new to the floor and was nearly a mirror image of the first. The Aggies continued to shoot poorly while failing to limit fouls and turnovers. It wasn’t until a 7-0 run put the Aggies within striking distance with less than 10 minutes left of play. A&M’s full court press forced a couple Bulldog turnovers and left just a minute on the board.
“They kept putting it in the corner where we trapped so we were able to force a couple turnovers,” said Hogg. “They didn’t handle the pressure very well and pretty much gave it to us. We were able to capitalize on the turnovers and put us right where we needed to be.”
Freshman Robert Williams continued to shine collecting his fourth career double-double and extending his blocking streak to 18 games. With just mere seconds winding down, the freshman prodigy hit two free throws and a layup to push the Aggies into a one-point lead. An official’s belt pack issue triggered an unplanned clock stoppage. The clock therefore never hit zero, but after a seemingly endless discussion between officials, they determined time had run out for the Bulldogs.
“I really believe they made the right decision,” said Kennedy. “I hate it for Georgia but the last five minutes we deserved the win. I know the first 20 we didn’t. We’re real fortunate. Being at home, our crowd was great and they supported us through it. Hopefully the win will get us to play better.”
Georgia Bulldog head coach Mark Fox explained the discussion he and coach Billy Kennedy had with the officials. He commented on the situation, saying his players were not at fault.
“I can’t blame my team for that,” said Fox. “They thought they had time to make a play.”
The Aggies return to action in Oxford on Wednesday as they take on the Ole Miss Rebels. Tipoff is set for 6:30 pm CST.