After winning their last three contests, the Aggies met their match in a nail-biter in Houston.
On Saturday, Texas A&M men’s basketball faced off against TCU in The Battleground 2k21 showcase. The matchup came after an 11-day break from action following an 85-65 home win over New Orleans.
Both of the squads came out firing on all cylinders in the game’s early stages. After TCU senior forward Chuck O’Bannon gave the Horned Frogs a 7-6 lead, A&M junior guard Tyrese Radford brought the Aggies back on top with a layup off a dish from graduate guard Quenton Jackson.
The early back-and-forth nature continued throughout the first half. O’Bannon knocked down a pair of free throws to extend the Frogs’ lead to four, but A&M junior Andre Gordon rebutted with a 3-point jumper to cut TCU’s lead to one. Following Gordon’s bucket, TCU pulled off a 10-0 run, ignited by three layups by freshman center Eddie Lampkin Jr. and a dunk from O’Bannon.
The maroon and white began to claw back into the match with a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Marcus Williams and a jumper from Gordon, but the Aggies still headed into the half facing a 33-23 deficit.
A&M came out of the locker room hot, starting the second half with a 11-2 run. When the Aggies were down by three, Gordon found Jackson from beyond the arc to knot the score at 37. TCU junior forward Emanuel Miller, a transfer from A&M, responded with a three to reclaim the advantage, but Williams kept the trend going to make it a 40-40 ballgame.
With the score tied at 49, freshman guard Wade Taylor IV gave A&M the lead with a mid range jumper. O’Bannon and sophomore guard Mike Miles made a pair of threes to give TCU a four-point edge.
Later on in the period, Miles banked in a layup to stretch the Frogs’ lead to six, but Radford kept the Aggies afloat with an immediate layup of his own. After Williams missed a free throw, Gordon snagged the offensive rebound and sophomore guard Hassan Diarra bucketed a 3-pointer to cut TCU’s lead to two.
TCU junior guard Damion Baugh knocked down four free throws to keep the Frogs comfortable, but Jackson splashed a clutch 3-point jumper to bring A&M back within two with 11 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession, O’Bannon knocked down two more free throws, and TCU held off the Aggies to claim the 68-64 victory.
Following the loss, A&M coach Buzz Williams said the Aggies’ extended break was not a key contributor in the outcome, adding that TCU coach Jamie Dixon deserves credit for the Frogs’ performance.
“It’s hard to say [if the break played a factor],” Buzz Williams said. “I want to make sure that we give credit to Coach Dixon and their team. I thought they did a really good job. The problems that we thought we had were worked on during the break… We turned the ball over way too much.”
Marcus Williams led the Aggies in points with 16 and assists with three, but he struggled from the charity stripe, going just 2-of-7 on free throws. Radford led the squad in rebounds with six, while sophomore forward Henry Coleman and Gordon each finished with four boards.
Marcus Williams said free throws have plagued the Aggies during the start to the season, and the team is going to work as a unit to fix that weakness in its game.
“I know we missed a lot,” Marcus Williams said. “Personally, I missed five alone, so I know that affected the game. That’s a big emphasis, and we’re going to go back and work on that.”
TCU moves to 8-1 with the win, while A&M falls to 7-2.
Next up, the Aggies will travel to Corvallis, Ore., to take on Oregon State on Dec. 18. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.