The Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Texas A&M men’s basketball team 59-52 at Reed Arena on Saturday.
For the second time in as many games the Aggies failed to beat the last place team in the SEC. Georgia’s only SEC win prior to Saturday was against Louisiana State University.
After the game, cheering and praise could be heard from the Georgia locker room. A random voice shouted: We needed that.”
In the course of A&Ms four-game losing streak, it has given up more than 30 points in the second half of each game. Against Alabama and LSU, the Aggies saw first half double-digit leads turn into losses.
Head coach Billy Kennedy said SEC teams have figured the A&M offense out and the offense isn’t working.
“Teams have counted how we’ve played,” Kennedy said. “They’re taking Elston [Turner] away and they’re getting after our guards. We’re trying to do a lot of different things cause nothing is working and [the ball] ends up in Elston’s hands at the end of the shot clock.”
The Aggies never inherited a lead after 17:22 in the first half. A back-and-forth brawl into the half ended with Georgia up 27-23.
After an 8-0 Aggie run between the end of the first half and the start of the second to close the gap to two, Georgia took control, going on a 16-2 run themselves.
Georgia guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope gave the Aggies the most trouble, scoring 22 points on 12 shots and grabbing nine rebounds.
Turner seemed to return to form after only scoring 22 combined points in the last three games and ended the game with 19. Turner said Caldwell-Pope plays the game well.
“He’s a great player,” Turner said. “He’s a great scorer. He’s long, athletic and he doesn’t force anything.
The Aggies made a run at the end of the game and came within three points, but the 17-point deficit was too much to overcome.
The Aggies travel to Mississippi to face the Mississippi State Bulldogs Wednesday at 8:00 P.M.