Call them the comeback kids.
Thanks to a roaring comeback effort and a big afternoon from Jalen Jones and Danuel House, No. 21 A&M survived on the road for the second time this week to knock off Tennessee 92-88. The win marks the first time anyone has beaten Tennessee in Knoxville this season.
It was yet another slow start for the Aggies on the road. A&M started shooting 3-for-13 from the floor, and Tennessee leaped out to a 22-10 lead in the first half. However, the scrappy Aggies would battle back time and again to keep within striking distance. Numerous runs kept the Aggies close, and they would trail 46-38 at the break.
Jalen Jones had another brilliant outing for the Aggies (13-2, 3-0 SEC), posting 27 points and seven rebounds in the contest. Alongside him, Danuel House added 23 points of his own, and when the smoke cleared, there were four Aggies in double-figures.
The second half is when things got a bit crazy.
Tennessee (8-7, 1-2 SEC) led for a majority of the contest, taking the lead 5-2 with 18:24 to go in the first half. They would retain that lead until the Aggies came roaring back.
When all hope looked lost, the Aggie leaders stepped up in a big way once again.
Trailing 84-74 with just over four minutes to play, Jones and House would put the team on their back and score 13 of the final 18 points for the Aggies, leading them to a thunderous 15-1 run to take an 85-84 lead with 2:12 to play. A&M would score 54 points in the second half and late free throws from House and Anthony Collins would put the game away for good.
In the end, the Aggies would rip off an 18-4 run to complete their second comeback on the road in the last three days.
A&M, which shot 38 percent in the first half, began to find their rhythm in the second half. They shot 63 percent in the second period of action and 50 percent from the three-point line. After 12 first half turnovers, A&M committed just two in the second half of play on Saturday afternoon.
The Aggies also outscored the Volunteers 38 to 28 in the paint, highlighted by Tyler Davis who added 11 points and six rebounds to the Aggie cause.
Tennessee was fueled by hot shooting until the dying minutes of the contest. Six Volunteer players reached double-figures, led by Kevin Punter who chimed in with 19 points.
The win keeps A&M undefeated in SEC play to open the year. Next up, A&M welcomes the Florida Gators to Reed Arena on Tuesday evening.