Twenty points from junior guard Quenton Jackson and eighteen points from Wendell Mitchell were the driving force in Texas A&M’s 74-68 upset of Alabama.
Jackson led the Aggies in scoring with 20 points on 30 percent shooting, but he went 13-of-14 from the three throw line to change the complexion of the game in the second half. Senior guard Wendell Mitchell had 18 points on 7-11 shooting from the floor and 4-7 from behind the three-point line.
This win puts A&M one game above .500 as the Aggies improve to 13-12 on the season and 7-6 in conference play. This loss puts Alabama at 14-12 on the season and now one game below .500 in conference play at 6-7.
The game was close all the way through with offensive fireworks. After A&M started out the game with their biggest lead of the game of eight points, Alabama slowly but surely tied the score at 11. A&M then went on a 9-3 run that spanned two minutes and had three three-point shots. With a 20-14 lead, the Aggies allowed Alabama to score at will. The Crimson Tide went on a 20-8 run to end the half with four three-pointers.
Alabama’s 34 points in the first half was fueled by their three-point shooting. The Tide attempted 21 three-pointers and converted eight (38 percent). That effort was closely matched by the Aggies who attempted nine three-point shots and converted on five (55 percent) of them. With both teams shooting percentages from the floor, the end would be decided by who got the ball last.
The start of the second half was a continuation of the hot three-point shooting from the first half as junior forward Savion Flagg made three three-point shots and Alabama guard Jaden Shackleford drained two of his own in the first 10 minutes. With Alabama leading 51-46 with ten minutes left in the game, the Aggies’ ability to draw fouls helped them get to the free throw line and it eventually allowed them to take the lead.
In the first half, the Aggies had six free throw attempts; they converted five (83 percent) of them. In the second half, A&M drew fouls that amassed 21 free throw attempts; the team made 16 (75 percent) of them. The 16 points the Aggies scored from free throws was 33 percent of their second half scoring and it forced Alabama into some low percentage shots and bad possessions as the game came to a close.
In the second half, the Aggies were able to maintain some scoring consistency in the second half as they shot 43 percent from the floor and 40 percent from the three point line. Meanwhile, Alabama only converted 41 percent of its total field goal attempts and 35 of its three-point attempts; that number was at 38 percent at the end of the first half.
A&M had an efficient day shooting the basketball as they made 43 percent of their field goal attempts and 45 percent of their three point attempts.
Junior Savion Flagg had 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the floor and 4-of-7 from behind the three-point line. Three of his four three-point buckets came in the second half and it gave A&M some much needed momentum to start their scoring run.
Senior forward Josh Nebo had 14 points and eight rebounds. After his double-double performance against Georgia, Emanuel Miller had four points and seven rebounds. Off the bench, guard Jay Jay Chandler scored six points from two three pointers.
The Aggies will look to extend their two game win streak against Mississippi State on Saturday. The game will be at Reed Arena and available for streaming on WatchESPN starting at 2:30 p.m.