Sophomore guard and forward Savion Flagg and junior guard Wendell Mitchell led Texas A&M’s men’s basketball to a comeback 65-56 win against Alabama on Tuesday night at Reed Arena, overcoming a 12-point deficit in the second half.
With the victory, A&M improves to 11-14 overall and 4-9 in SEC play, while the Crimson Tide falls to 15-11 on the season and 6-7 in conference play.
The Aggies battled with Alabama throughout the course of the first half with both teams unable finding their rhythm offensively. The Tide came out on top near the end of the period after a 10-0 scoring run led by junior guard Dazon Ingram.
After Flagg hit a pair of free throws and a three-pointer going into the locker room, Alabama found themselves up six at the intermission. In the first half A&M shot 27 percent from the field, only hitting seven shots, while Alabama shot 43 percent and hit 12.
The start of the second half would get better for only a brief time for the Aggies. Sophomore guard Brandon Mahan hit an off-the-dribble three-point shot, along with three more free throws the following possession after being fouled by Alabama junior guard and forward Tevin Mack, making it a two-point game.
The Crimson Tide followed pursuit with a 12-0 scoring run led by sophomore guard John Petty. This run would be the last scoring run of the night for the visitors.
Shortly after, a three-point shot from Flagg would ignite the A&M offense. The Aggies went on a 12-point scoring run of their own to bring them back out on top and secure the lead for the rest of the half.
“Competing and staying aggressive on the offensive and defensive end,” Flagg said about what turned the game around for the Aggies. “Just keep pushing the pace and doing what we do.”
Flagg finished the night shooting 50 percent from the floor, scoring 18 points and had nine rebounds in 37 minutes of play.
“[Flagg] took over,” A&M head coach Billy Kennedy. “He was really aggressive offensively and I liked the fact that we played him more at the three.”
Mitchell, who earned double figures for the fifth time in the past six contests, had a shooting percentage of 41 and scored 18 points along with Flagg. Mitchell hit two critical jump shots from inside the paint and one from the three-point line that put the game away for the Aggies in the final seconds.
Sophomore guard Jay Jay Chandler also proved to be a crucial part in the Aggies victory with a tough three-pointer during the last scoring run of the contest. Coming off the bench, Chandler scored nine points and recorded three rebounds in 20 minutes of play.
“The coaches told me to shoot the ball in confidence,” Chandler said. “Those are practice shots. We just kept that momentum and just finished out the game.”
The Aggies will travel to Arkansas on Saturday, Feb. 23 to face the Razorbacks. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on the SEC Network.