Huge second half leads No. 13 Texas A&M men’s basketball team past Longhorns in SEC opener

For the first time in nearly a decade, the Texas A&M men’s basketball team defeated its bitter rivals, the University of Texas, on Saturday.

For the first time in nearly a decade, the Texas A&M men’s basketball team has defeated its bitter rivals, the University of Texas.

The No. 13 Aggies (12-2, 1-0 SEC) beat the Longhorns (11-3, 0-1) by a final score of 80-60 on Saturday night at Reed Arena. Texas A&M outscored Texas 43-23 in the second half to win its conference opener at home.

This weekend’s Lone Star Showdown matchup was the first since December 2019. The victory is the Aggies‘ first against the Longhorns since November 2015.

Senior point guard Zhuric Phelps racked up a game-high 18 points on 6-of-8 field goal and free throw attempts, respectively. He added 7 rebounds (1 offensive), 4 assists and 1 steal.

Three other Texas A&M players scored in double-digits. Junior power forward Pharrel Payne recorded 15, senior PG Wade Taylor IV contributed 13 and senior shooting guard Manny Obaseki added 10.

Next up for the Aggies is a road contest against the SEC’s other new addition, No. 12 Oklahoma (13-1, 0-1). Texas A&M faces off against the Sooners at 8 p.m. Wednesday from the Lloyd Noble Center on the SEC Network.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.