In its last game of the 2022 slate, on Friday, Dec. 30, Texas A&M men’s basketball saw its offense click into place just in time for the upcoming SEC lineup. In what became their strongest offensive performance this season, the Aggies dominated the Prairie View A&M Panthers in a 86-66 victory. The win moves the maroon and white to an 8-5 record.
“This week there has been continuity in how we’ve practiced and prepared,” A&M coach Buzz Williams told 12thMan.com. “We need to take everything we’ve learned thus far into the season and execute those things going forward. We have to have pace and we have to have purpose.”
The game opened with back-and-forth play between the Aggies and Panthers, with neither team able to gain momentum for the first 10 minutes of play. However, a 3-pointer from graduate guard Tyrece Radford and an off-the-bench offensive performance from sophomore guard Manny Obaseki lit the match for the Aggies, allowing them to take off on a 16-0 run over a span of five minutes. When the Fightin’ Farmers left the court for halftime, they held a 53-32 lead over Prairie View.
After the break, the Aggies and Panthers returned to the court, with Prairie View fighting to get back in the game, but ultimately they could not overcome the maroon and whites’ season-high performance. With the final buzzer, the Aggies managed to keep their 20-point lead and shut down any chance for a Panther comeback.
“Today was most definitely one of the better games, more fun games,” sophomore guard Wade Taylor IV told 12thMan.com. “I feel like, knowing it’s the last non-conference game, we had our offense come out. Today was probably one of the most exciting games. Everybody got to play, so that’s a good thing too.”
The Aggies shot for 54% from the field, making 27-of-50 attempts, which culminated in their best shoot percentage all season. The maroon and white also shot for 44.4% from the arc, making 8-of-18, the first time the team has connected on more than 40% of its 3-point tries since the season-opener against the University of Louisiana Monroe. Radford led the team in points with a double-digit finish of 20 points, going 4-for-4 from the 3-point line. Taylor followed closely scoring 17 points on the night and Obaseki finished with 13 and tied junior forward Henry Coleman III for the team lead 3 three assists. Coleman himself tallied 12 points to make him the fourth Aggie to hit double digits and led the team on defense with six rebounds.
“I think there’s a lot we need to work on — and that’s just a part of the process — there is a lot to work on, but at the same time, we’re making progress,” Obaseki told 12thMan.com. “We started this season off slow. We’re not where we want to be, but I feel like if we keep working the way we’re working, we’re going to be where we want to be at.”
The Aggies will return to play after a short break for the holidays with the first game of their SEC slate as well as the 2023 half of the season. The maroon and white will face the Florida Gators on the road in Gainesville, Fla. on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, at Exactech Arena.