It what was destined to be a close match, the Aggies paid a visit to Arkansas in hopes of redeeming a 60-62 loss to the Razorbacks in mid-January.
Texas A&M drops to 14-13 (6-9 SEC) on the season, still in search of their first win at Walton Arena. The Hogs earned their fourth straight win and move to (21-7, 10-5 SEC) with a huge 50-point second-half performance over the Aggies. A&M leads the all-time series 100-55 but it’s Arkansas who has won three straight over the Aggies, including tonight Fayetteville.
The two squads went back and forth in an all-out dogfight before the Razorbacks took advantage late in the second half to put themselves ahead. The Aggies were able to place four players in double-figure scoring and shot at least 50 percent for the 11 time this season. Lingering possession issues brought about 17 turnovers which Arkansas was able to gain a 21-13 advantage on.
Sophomore guard Tyler Davis continued to shine in the absence of sophomore forward DJ Hogg. Davis hit the 20-point mark for this sixth time in his career, finishing with 21 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and an assist. Freshman forward Robert Williams notched a team-leading ninth double-double, finishing with 16 points and 11 boards. Sophomore Admon Gilder and junior Tonny Trocha-Morelos rounded off the top scorers with 17 and 10 points respectively.
Offensively, a slow game from the start, neither team found their rhythm early. After going a combined 1-of-10 from the field, the two squads soon found their groove and the Razorbacks held a 36-33 lead going into the break.
Unable to slow down Jaylen Barford and Moses Kingsley of Arkansas, the Aggies soon found themselves playing catch up in a huge second half for the Hogs. Barford led the Razorbacks with 16 points while Kingsley finished with his sixth double-double of the season. Arkansas’ 50-point half was led by 27 bench points to the Aggies’ 4, digging a hole A&M was unable to climb out of.
The Aggies return to action Saturday back in College Station as they play host to Alabama. Tipoff is set for 7:00 pm CST in Reed Arena.
