Texas A&M (18-13, 9-9 SEC) put on a dominant performance on the road, beating Ole Miss (20-11, 7-11 SEC) by 26 points, improving its resume as it heads into tournament season.
I don’t think Coach Buzz Williams could’ve asked for a better start to the game as the Aggies jumped out to a 14-0 lead, mainly off the hot hand of Manny Obaseki. The lineup with Obaseki, Wade Taylor, and Tyrece Radford to start the game proved to be an elite-level decision, putting an emphasis on attacking the basket early and often. The trio combined for 35 points and seven three-pointers.
Ole Miss tried to chip away at the lead slowly, getting within six points in the first half. However, the Aggie defense did what they do best and pestered the Rebels, which led to a scoreless two minutes for the home team. Obaseki led all scorers with 15 combined with Radford’s 12, as the Aggies took a 42-29 lead into the locker room and never looked back.
SECOND HALF:
Starting the second half at about the 16-minute mark, the Aggies hit back to back to back three-pointers to go up 20 with a score of 57-37. There was not much Ole Miss could do against an A&M team that has been on a mission to right the ship over the past few games.
The Rebels never got close again, as the Aggies pushed Ole Miss around the courts, out-rebounding them 50 to 21, and three Aggies hit double-digit rebounds. Obaseki had his best game of the season, and if he can keep this pace up, A&M will have that third scorer they have desperately been looking for.
With the big win, Texas A&M has now finished .500 in conference play and looks to be locked into the seventh spot in the SEC Tournament. Depending on what happens in the remaining SEC games today, the Aggie will likely get a quick rematch with Ole Miss.
Below are the Aggies critical contributors from the game:
Tyrece Radford: 19 points / 10 rebounds
Manny Obaseki: 25 points
Wade Taylor IV: 19 points / 5 rebounds / 7 assists
Ole Miss’s top contributors:
Jaylen Murray: 21 points / 3 assists
Jaemyn Brakefield: 10 points / 4 rebounds
Texas A&M will play next at the SEC tournament on Thursday, March 17, at 6 p.m. CT.
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