No. 12 Texas A&M (5-0) pulled away late to defeat Penn State (4-1) in a scrappy game, but the Aggies proved too much for the Nittany Lions in the ESPN Events Invitational first round.
Both teams started with smothering defense, not giving up any easy buckets. They traded the lead throughout the entire 1st half and were equally cold from the three-point line, going 5 of 17 combined. However, after a shot clock malfunction, Buzz Williams made some adjustments to take an extended lead going into halftime 39-32. Tyrece Radford led the Aggies with 10 points, and Henry Coleman III was right behind him with 8.
Coming off a 17-8 run to close out the 1st half, the Aggies pressure and offensive rebounding kept the Nittany Lions at bay, holding a six-to-eight-point lead for the opening five minutes. Feeling the urgency, Penn State went on a quick run to pull within one.
That momentum was snatched away by a big slam by sophomore guard Soloman Washington, pushing the lead back out once again. It took another 3 minutes before Penn State could threaten again, getting a three-point deficit with around five minutes left. But once again, the Aggies locked in and delivered multiple second-chance points to push the lead back to double digits.
Henry Coleman and Wade Taylor exploded in the second half for 47 points when it was all said and done, giving Radford a break after carrying the offense early. Buzz Williams has his team playing some really good basketball right now and is not fazed by much. This impressive 89-77 win showed this team’s depth, as every player scored and shot exceptionally efficiently in the second half.
Oh, and Henry Coleman III has become an absolute mismatch in the post, and if this is the kind of consistency the Aggies are getting game to game, this is a Top 10 unit for the rest of the season, bar none.
Below are the Aggie critical contributors from the game:
Wade Taylor IV: 23 points / 3 assists / 6 rebounds
Tyrece Radford: 14 points / 1 assists / 6 rebounds
Henry Coleman: 24 points / 1 assists / 5 rebounds
Texas A&M will be back in action at 11 a.m. tomorrow for the semi-finals against the winner of the Florida Atlantic vs Butler game.
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