In a game that Texas A&M men’s basketball led for a total of 23:24, it was UCF’s offense that took control in the most critical point of the game, as it hit 15 of its final 18 shots in a late-game run in the final few minutes as the Aggies fell 86-74 to the Knights at Reed Arena on Friday, Nov. 14, in their only non-conference home game against a Power Four opponent.
“It’s unfortunate, man, because you can play 27 minutes of good basketball, lead the majority of the game and not close it out,” coach Bucky McMillan said. “That’s basketball. Going forward, you know, we will get guys back. We’ll keep plugging along. Basketball is a long season.”
Halftime saw both teams tied at -30, despite a poor half offensively for the Aggies. A&M shot 27% from the field in the opening frame compared to UCF’s 37% — but the Aggies showed effort and had several things go just well enough to keep the home squad in it.
“We were not making a lot of shots, but we had energy,” sophomore guard Rubén Dominguez said. “We were diving to the floor, playing very hard, so that’s the stuff that kept us in the game.”
In a stat line that fans don’t see too often, the Aggies actually shot better — 33% — from beyond the arc than they did from the field in the first half. Five Fightin’ Farmers each hit a 3-pointer in the period, including a 4-point play from graduate student forward Zach Clemence that had the Reed Rowdies roaring.
But A&M’s shooting performance did improve in the second half, as the home squad shot 48.1% from the field in that period. A substantial scoring run gave the Aggies a 14-point lead with 12:18 remaining in the game.
Unfortunately for the 12th Man, the visitors shot a whopping 62.1% from the field over that same stretch. And A&M’s poor shooting performance in the paint doomed the Maroon and White.
“You got to finish more at the rim,” McMillan said. “Man, I mean that’s the thing, consistency, you talk about you want free throws, layups and you want threes. I mean, as every analytical person would tell you, that’s the most optimal way to play the game of basketball. … Most importantly, at the rim, like that’s better than a three. You should have more consistency there than anywhere. And we couldn’t capitalize on those.”
Defensively, A&M had its bright spots. The signature Bucky Ball press defense gave the visitors fits. UCF finished the half with nine turnovers — leading to nine A&M points — and ended the game with a total of 16.
The game’s rebounding numbers were nearly even, with the Knights holding a slim advantage 33-32.
The lion’s share of the Knights’ points came from junior F Jordan Burks, who led all scorers with 21 points while going 5-for-7 from beyond the arc. But it was the Knights’ backcourt who powered them through the end of the game.
“Their guards rose up in the game late,” McMillan said. “Played really good in the game late. We kind of had them under control for the most part. In the last 10 minutes, they really rose to the occasion.”
Meanwhile, the Fightin’ Farmers relied on a crop of scorers. Five A&M players finished in double figures, but none had more than graduate student G Marcus Hill’s 14 points.
Unfortunately for A&M, it had its own woes, finishing the game with 14 turnovers leading to 20 UCF points — the same amount of points off turnovers the Aggies recorded.
“Too many turnovers in that game from our point guards,” McMillan said. “We’ve got to cut those turnovers down.”
Next, A&M will turn its attention to Big Sky foe Montana, who the Aggies will host at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at Reed Arena.
