After beginning February with a hot start, ended on Tuesday night, as the Aggies fell to Missouri 62-58.
A&M sophomore forward Robert Williams made a layup with 2:38 remaining to cut the Aggies’ deficit to just one point trailing 57-56. After working the ball around the perimeter, Mizzou guard Kassius Robertson drove to the basket and netted a layup to extend the Tigers lead to 59-56. The Aggies then pushed the ball up the court and found junior guard D.J. Hogg, who swooshed an elbow jumper with 1:19 remaining.
Hogg then fouled Tilmon on the other end who made one of two free throws. On the next possession, the Aggies worked the ball around the key but were unable to find an open shot before the shot clock expired, giving Mizzou the ball back. With eight seconds remaining, Mizzou inbounded the ball and the Aggies stole it, eventually finding Williams in the low post.
Williams then missed a game-tying contested layup, effectively ending the game. A&M fouled Mizzou guard Jontay Porter, who sunk both of his free throws, giving Mizzou a 62-58 lead, which they clinched.
Before the game, head coach Billy Kennedy said this game would likely be a low-scoring affair, and the first team to score 60 points would have a very good chance to win the game. The Aggies defeated Mizzou 60-49 in the teams first match-up on Jan. 20. Kennedy’s prediction proved true as both teams struggled to hit open shots on offense. Williams dominated the paint on both ends of the court, and was nearly halfway to a double-double at the first media timeout.
Both teams were neck-and-neck in the first 9:56 of the game and the game was tied 14-14. The Aggies then went 6:56 without scoring a point, and found themselves trailing 20-14.
Coming into the game, the Aggies depth was a major question as guards Jay Jay Chandler, J.J. Caldwell and Duane Wilson would not play in the game. The Aggies’ bench got even thinner at the end of the first half, as junior center Tyler Davis did not play the last 11 minutes of the half, and senior center Tonny Trocha-Morelos did not play in the last six minutes as both had two fouls.
Mizzou forward Jordan Barnett found success from behind the arc in the first half, netting four and leading the game with 11 points in the half. Mizzou held a 29-21 lead over the Aggies at the half.
A&M trailed 50-36 in the second half, but slowly crept back into the game. The Aggies comeback was enabled due to a much improved shot selection in the second half. The maroon and white netted 45.2 percent (14-of-31) of their shots from the field in the second half.
Preventing the Aggies comeback was a multitude of turnovers. After committing just nine turnovers against Kentucky on Saturday, the Aggies made many errant passes that accounted for some of the Aggies 16 turnovers.
The second half Aggies looked like a completely revamped squad. However, they still fell short, losing 62-58.
The Aggies will return to action on Saturday at Arkansas (17-8, 6-6 SEC) at 3 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN.