No. 13 Texas A&M (3-0) beat the SMU Mustangs (3-1) in Dallas for back-to-back road wins as they slowed the speedy SMU offense down with the patented suffocating Buzz Williams defense.
The first half was full of second-chance points for both teams, snatching offensive rebounds from each other for a total of 17 between the teams. Like the Ohio State game, the Aggies started off shooting poorly but did a good job mirroring SMU’s pace, keeping the game close for most of the first half.
Another timely Buzz Williams timeout put an end to that sluggish play. With more pep in the step now, the action picked up the final three minutes with both teams getting hot, mainly All-SEC guard Tyrece Radford and SMU’s Chuck Harris (13 points).
Radford scored the last eight points of the half for the Aggies, going 6-10 with four three-pointers to lead all scorers with 16. The left-handed guard closed out the half, sucking all the energy out of the SMU crowd, hitting a step-back three at the buzzer, giving the Aggies a 39-32 lead at halftime.
the boy is nice @Tyreceradford23 pic.twitter.com/uAgHPlkafp
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) November 15, 2023
The start of the second half premiered the A&M’s smothering defense, helping the Aggies pull out to a ten-point lead with about 12 minutes left. As the time ticked away, the Mustangs started to claw back, giving the fans in Moody Coliseum something to cheer about pulling within four.
That was short-lived when Henry Coleman III scored on a foul under the basket and hit his free throw, converting the three-point play. The defense clamped back down again, returning the lead to a 61-52 advantage with five minutes left.
Little would change over the remainder of the game outside SMU knocking down occasional three-pointers to keep them within ten points. Ultimately, the Aggies were too much for the Mustangs in the 79-66 road win, moving Texas A&M to an impressive 3-0 on the season.
GAME NOTES:
- Free throw shooting improved (22-27, 81.5%)
- Perimeter defense needs some work, as they allowed ten made threes on 23 attempts for a 43.5% average
Below are the Aggie critical contributors from the game:
Wade Taylor IV: 15 points / 5 assists / 2 rebounds
Tyrece Radford: 21 points / 3 assists / 7 rebounds
Henry Coleman: 13 points / 2 assists / 15 rebounds
Texas A&M will be back in Reed Arena to take on Oral Roberts on Friday, Nov. 17. The game will air on ESPN+ and SEC+.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.