When the dust settled on ol’ Rocky Top, Texas A&M basketball suffered its first Southeastern Conference defeat at the hands of the No. 24 Tennessee Volunteers in an 87-82, two-overtime nailbiter.
A commanding performance by senior guard Jacari Lane was the spirit of the Aggies’ fight, as the former North Alabama star brought 20 points and nine assists to the Volunteer State. His supporting cast of sophomore and junior Gs Rubén Dominguez and Pop Isaacs added 31 more.
Dominguez, who has shot 47.1% on the year, was curbed in his attempts to deliver in the clutch, finishing 4-for-11 from the field. While still converting north of 36% on Tuesday night, Tennessee’s stalwart defense was simply too much for A&M to overcome, allowing just 11 points in both overtime periods.
Freshman forward Nate Ament took Tennessee’s first lead of the contest when he added a free throw to his jumpshot, stealing a narrow 65-64 advantage into the waning minutes of the game.
Ament provided a team-high 23 points, but it was more than just scoring — it was the moments in which he delivered them. The Virginia native had 10 of the Volunteers’ 16 overtime points and did not shy away when his number was called, especially when he nailed two game-sealing free throws with 12 seconds on the clock.
The loss marks the second time the Aggies have fallen in overtime as well as squandered a double-digit lead. A&M was ahead by as much as 11 points, but when it finally lost the advantage, it was never ahead by more than five.
The rebounding percentage — a strong suit over recent years — was the Aggies’ undoing in their first SEC defeat, as the Volunteers had 60 boards to just 35 on the visitors’ side. It was the height advantage that worked in Tennessee’s favor, with just one player in its starting lineup measuring below six-foot-four.
The mass exodus that followed former head coach Buzz Williams’ departure left the A&M program in shambles, to say the least, with sophomore F Chris McDermott being the only reminder of a rebound-heavy identity left by the now-Maryland boss.
However, the pieces were picked up quickly when head coach Bucky McMillan came to College Station to shift the Aggies in a new direction, and now they are averaging the SEC’s second-best scoring margin with 93.7 points per game.
Even so, A&M only managed to sneak by its first two SEC victories by a collective five points against LSU and Auburn. McMillan’s squad followed those up with a rousing home defense of Oklahoma, but now a pivotal moment presents itself with the loss to Tennessee.
“Basketball is really funny in the sense that if you make one free throw or make one more three, you’re walking out of somewhere differently,” McMillan said. “Being just right there [to a win] is the same thing. But we’re heading in the right direction, that’s the biggest thing.”
A&M will conclude back-to-back SEC road games as it travels to face rival Texas in Austin on Saturday, Jan. 17, at 5 p.m.
