Another year, another slow start for head coach Buzz Williams and Texas A&M basketball. Coming into the season ranked No. 13 in the country, the Aggies faced one of the tougher openers on the week, traveling to face a feisty UCF squad as a slight 5-point favorite.
Well, the betting world was right not to trust the Aggies on the road so early in the season, as star point guard Wade Taylor IV couldn’t find his shot outside of four 3-pointers, while new center Pharrel Payne fouled out late in the second half after leading A&M with 15 points and six rebounds.
Defensively, the Aggies were aggressive and physical both on the boundary and in the paint, limiting UCF to just 34% from the field. However, without consistent offense, finishing out the come was almost impossible based on A&M’s late-game shooting performance.
After leading by double digits with eleven minutes remaining, Texas A&M’s offense completely disappeared, as the Aggies were held for the final three and half minutes,
Holding onto a 63-61 lead, the Aggies had chances to either tie the game or take the lead, finishing 1-13 shooting in that span while failing to hit the game-tying three to send the game into overtime on several solid looks.
This was a winnable game, and Buzz Williams has much to fix ahead of a tough nonconference schedule.
Note: Texas A&M was without former SMU guard Zhuric Phelps on Monday, which likely placed a hole in the inside scoring production, especially after Payne Fouled out.
Game Statistics:
- Wade Taylor: 13 points, 4-15 FG, 4-11 3-point
- Pharrel Payne: 15 points, 6 rebounds
Texas A&M will head home, set to host Texas A&M-Commerce on Friday, Nov. 8th inside Reed Arena.
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