In the long-awaited return of graduate guard Wade Taylor IV, Texas A&M men’s basketball rebounded from a two-game skid with a 68-57 win against LSU in front of a packed house at Reed Arena.
“He’s a difference maker, coaches have got to change their gameplan when he’s in the game,” junior forward Solomon Washington said. “Overall, it’s great to have him back. He’s been limited in practice but we knew he was ready to go, and he was ready to get back out there.”
The rousing home crowd yells were rewarded quickly with a jumper from Taylor to kick off the scoring, 2-0. He followed it up with a shifty steal he lobbed to a wide-open junior G Zhuric Phelps, who drained a 3-point shot for a 5-0 lead.
Phelps continued his recent scoring tear with a jumper from beyond the arc to bring the score to 8-2. A physical, coach Buzz Williams-style defense prevented a strong push from the LSU offense and allowed graduate G CJ Wilcher to nail his own 3-point shot before the first timeout of the half was called with the Aggies in front, 11-4.
“Our defensive rebound percentage was over 75% in both halves,” Williams said. “We had our best percentage statistically all week, when the ball was in the air, we were able to be at our best. I’m very proud of them.”
Junior forward Pharrell Payne continued his New Year’s resolution of efficiency under the hoop, jamming a high-powered dunk to extend the Maroon and White lead to 14-7 and contributing to his NCAA-best 84.4% shooting in the paint since December.
Taylor stayed hungry in his first game back in action since Jan. 4, charging to the basket as a round-the-world layup added more insurance for the Aggies. The Tigers would not shy away from their adversary, turning a foul from Washington into a 3-point play from graduate G Jordan Sears, chopping at the lead, 20-17.
Graduate G Dji Bailey stole the momentum away from A&M with a stand-alone shot for three, bringing the score to 22-20. Wilcher did not not let that go without a response, tossing a counter shot and snatching the driver’s seat back with a score of 23-22.
The Aggies’ free-throw troubles continued in the first half, draining only three of their possible seven makes. After a physical, foul-filled half, the score stood even at 30-30 as neither team had a player make it to double-digit points before the buzzer.
The second half kicked off with an offensive foul by LSU, but with a missed 3-pointer from Washington, A&M was unable to ward off a lead-changing course of events, now trailing 36-32 thanks to LSU senior G Cam Carter.
Taylor looked like his old self with a 3-point basket as graduate F Andersson Garcia and Phelps combined to rally to a 39-38 edge with 15:45 left to play.
The three joined forces just moments later as a Phelps steal, Taylor lob and Garcia slam dunk ignited the home crowd yet again.
“It was surreal to be back on the court,” Taylor said. “Shoutout to the 12th Man, it was great to put my jersey on and represent my school. I’m glad to be back. Phelps has been phenomenal, he stepped up a big role and has contributed a lot. He has always been great, and I’m thankful for him to be there for us.”
Wilcher remained a bright spot on an otherwise lackluster shooting day for A&M, making three of his five attempts beyond the arc. No other Aggie made more than one of those shots.
Four straight fouls by LSU resulted in just two A&M points, though securing a not-so-comfortable lead for Williams’ crew. A fifth in three minutes resulted in two made free throws from Taylor, as he hit the double-digit mark and delighted the Reed Arena crowd.
Washington needed a beach umbrella to compliment the island he found himself on, cashing in on a corner shot with no one near him as he reinforced a 52-43 Aggie lead.
A fadeaway three from senior G Jace Carter was reminiscent of his 2023-2024 campaign, and Phelps did not stop finding new ways to score in the paint. Graduate F Henry Coleman III got in on the action as well, becoming the go-to guy under the basket to get those second-chance points.
In the blink of an eye, the Aggies were up on top by 14 points with less than four minutes to go. No thanks to free throw shooting, as the Maroon and White went 9 for 20 from the charity stripe. The Tigers more than doubled their opponents’ free throw percentage, shooting 88.9%.
Coleman reached double-digits with the final points of the game and put A&M back over .500 in conference play. Pairing a strong presence at the rim and a handful of momentum shots made sure that LSU was unable to climb back from a late Texas-sized hole, 68-57.
The Aggies return to action against No. 21 Ole Miss on Jan. 22 at 8 p.m. in Oxford, Mississippi.
