Texas A&M (7-3) pulled within a few points of taking the lead late off the back of Wade Taylor against the Houston Cougars (11-0) on Saturday afternoon but ultimately lost 70-66 at the Toyota Center.
Just as we figured, the first half was physical play and contested shots. The refs had a tight whistle but let the teams be themselves as aggressive squads. After a strong Aggie start, the Cougars went on a 24-9 run to run out to a 24-16 lead with about 6 minutes left in the half.
Wade Taylor IV would try to will A&M back into the game and stop the bleeding with a few buckets to pull within eight. Coach Sampson’s Cougars turned up the heat on the Aggies causing multiple turnovers and knocking down threes of the hands of LJ Cryer. Houston went on a 10-2 run to close out the half up 38-23.
Houston opened the second half with a three after three after three, but the battle ensued as Pre-Season SEC player of the year Wade Taylor IV made eight straight points for A&M to cut the lead to 53-44. Texas A&M kept pressing and another Taylor three-pointer pulled the Aggies within six points with a score of 57-51.
At one point, a game that looked out of hand came down to the wire as the A&M fought hard to the bitter end. Without senior guard Tyrece Radford in the lineup, points were hard to come by, and Taylor almost single-handedly beat the Cougars by himself. No other Aggie had more than seven points, while Taylor poured 26 second-half points and knocked down six three-pointers.
Down two with a chance to tie or go up, the Aggies inbounded the ball to Taylor, who missed the three for the lead, but Henry Coleman was fouled on the attempted outback. Unfortunately, he missed both attempts from the stripe, and Houston grabbed the rebound, followed by a Jace Carter foul, putting them on the line with just seconds left. Houston’s Emanuel Sharp would make both free throws for the game’s final points for the final score of 70-66.
Enduring a fourth loss in the young season, the Aggies still look like an NCAA Tournament team, battling perhaps the best team in college football down to the final possession.
Below are the Aggie critical contributors from the game:
Wade Taylor IV: 34 points / 4 assists
Henry Coleman III: 6 points / 12 rebounds
NOTE: Tyrece missed the game due to a breathing issue, per Coach Buzz Williams
Texas A&M will return to Reed Arena next Friday to host HCU at 7:00 PM CST.
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