A 20-point double-double from freshman forward Emanuel Miller helped the Aggies complete the comeback against Georgia as they won 74-69.
With this win, Texas A&M men’s basketball is 12-12 on the season with a 6-6 conference record and have ended a two-game losing streak. Georgia is now 12-13 on the season with a 2-10 conference record. The Bulldogs have extended their losing streak to four games.
To start the game, Georgia looked like it was finally going to right the ship.
The start of the game saw both teams scoreless for over two minutes. The drought was broken by junior guard Savion Flagg. However, it didn’t take long for the offensive fireworks to kick in as three three-point shots from guard Anthony Edwards and forward Rayshaun Howard helped Georgia build a 9-4 lead. After falling 11-6, A&M scored six straight points and eventually took a 14-13 lead. This lead was the only one A&M would have all half as they surrendered 24 points the rest of the half. Fourteen of those 24 points came on a 14-5 Georgia run that spanned nearly five and a half minutes. After trading three-point baskets, the Bulldogs took a 38-29 lead into halftime.
At the half, Savion Flagg led the Aggies in points with eight. Those eight points included two three-point shots. The Aggies converted 35 percent of their field goal attempts and 31 percent of their three-point field goal attempts in the first half. Contrastly, the Bulldogs converted 50 percent of their field goal attempts and 35 percent of their three-point field goal attempts in the first half.
However, not only were the Bulldogs dominating on offense, but they were out rebounding the Aggies significantly. At the end of the first half, Georgia was leading the Aggies in rebounds 21-10.
A&M’s rusty start to the game did not last in the second half. After the first 5 minutes of the second half, the Aggies went on an 11-2 run to tie the game at 40. In that span, the Aggies converted four of their six field goal attempts. The run was capped off with an alley-oop dunk from Miller. Georgia was able to regain their lead on a three-point shot from Sahvir Wheeler and went on another 8-2 run with the help of Hammonds’ three free throws. However, A&M quickly recovered as Miller and Josh Nebo baskets tied the game up at 48 apiece.
After this run, Georgia went on another two scoring runs, and the Aggies successfully matched them each time. Georgia reopened their lead 53-48, but free throws from Miller and Quenton Jackson reduced that lead to two points. When Georgia took a 57-53 lead, layups from Emmanuel Miller and Quenton Jackson tied the game at 57. When Georgia took a 59-57 lead against the Aggies, that would be the last time they led the entire game.
A&M turned the tables and went on a 5-0 run to lead 64-59. This was their first lead since they led 14-13 with 9:29 left in the first half. The Aggies lead was reduced to one point, but Wendell Mitchell followed that up with a three-point play off of a steal. Savion Flagg then scored on a dunk and the Aggies had their biggest lead of the game at six points leading 69-63 with a minute left in the game. Both teams traded free throws as the Aggies eventually reached a 73-67 lead. With six seconds left in the game, Sahvir Wheeler drew a foul on Josh Nebo, which caused Nebo to foul out of the game. With a 73-69 lead Savion Flagg went to the free throw line and converted a clutch free throw to officially clinch the game for A&M at 74-69.
The comeback was spearheaded by freshman Miller. Miller recorded 21 points on the day; 17 of those points came in the second half. Nebo recorded 12 points before he eventually fouled out of the game.
Flagg recorded eleven points, six of which came from important three-point shots in the first half. Mitchell recorded 13 points and Jackson recorded eleven; that makes five Aggies with double digit points.
However, Jackson said he believed the offense was a result of the better defense the team played in the second half.
“Our defense is the biggest part of how we play,” Jackson said. “If we lock in defensively, we know that our offense can be run.”
Jackson himself recorded three of the team’s ten steals and was able to get 13 points on the day. However, the defensive intensity isn’t all the Aggies emphasized coming out of halftime. After getting outrebounded by Georgia, the team understood they needed to put extra emphasis on that in the second half.
“When we went to the locker room, we made that an emphasis to rebound better in the second half,” Jackson said.
After getting outrebounded 21-10 in the first half, the Aggies outrebounded the Bulldogs 18-13 in the second half.
The Aggies will look to add to their win streak against Alabama on Wednesday, February 19. The game will be in Coleman Coliseum and tip off begins at 6 p.m.