COLLEGE STATION — THE Texas A&M men’s basketball The team went into halftime tied 30-30, but used a strong shooting performance in the second half to earn a well-deserved victory.
No. 11 Texas A&M (14-4, 3-2 SEC) entered the night on a two-game losing streak, and while it wasn’t easy Saturday night, with six lead changes, A&M posted a 68-57 victory over LSU (12-6, 1-4).
“We had four turkeys (three straight defensive stops) in the first half and forced seven turnovers,” A&M head coach Buzz Williams said after the game. “In the second half, we had four more turkeys and forced 11 turnovers, and our defensive rebounding percentage was about 82 percent. Our plan was excellent.”
LSU only managed six offensive rebounds out of 30 missed from the field. As a team, the Aggies held the Tigers to 17-for-47 (36.2%) on team shooting; This is the second time in five conference games that A&M has held an opponent under 37% shooting. Williams’ team also forced 18 turnovers, tied for the most in SEC games this season.
The Aggies struggled at the free throw line for much of the night, finishing 9 of 21. A&M shot 26 of 61 (42.6%) overall and 7 of 22 (31.8%) at 3 points. But the addition of guard Wade Taylor IV to the lineup after a three-game absence, along with guard Zhuric Phelps, helped the Aggies’ offense.
AGGIES: Texas A&M vs LSU: Live Score Updates, Highlights, How to Watch News
“(Taylor) obviously makes a big difference. When he plays, teams have to adjust their defense. It was important to get him back,” forward Solomon Washington said.
Phelps led A&M with 13 points on 6 of 13 from the field in a team-high 30 minutes. He continued his quality offensive attack even with Taylor reinserted into the lineup.
Taylor’s availability was uncertain for much of the week. The Aggies’ second all-time leading scorer came back to score 12 points on 3-of-13 shooting from the field. He was 5 of 6 from the free throw line.
“I took it day by day. I was able to go out there today and I’m excited to play. It was surreal,” Taylor said. “I’m grateful to the ’12th Man’ for supporting us. I’m happy to be here, to wear the Aggie jersey and to represent this school.”
Tigers guard Cam Carter led the way with 16 points, shooting 5 of 13 from the field while going 3 of 6 from beyond the 3-point line. LSU fought hard to stay in the game, taking advantage of a quality night from the free throw line (finishing 16 of 18) to push the Aggies.
A&M FOOTBALL: Marcel Reed recognizes room for growth but is “ready to be a leader” in 2025
A&M entered the game ranked 11th in both USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Top 25. The Tigers were not ranked in either national poll.
Next up for the Aggies is a test drive against Ole Mademoiselle Wednesday.
Contact Texas A&M Beat reporter Tony Catalina by email at ACatalina@gannett.com. Follow the American Statesman on Facebook And X to find out more. Your subscription makes such work possible. Go to all our best content with this great offer.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas A&M vs. LSU game score: Aggies used second-half surge to win
