The 2022 Texas A&M basketball squad played its second game of the season on Friday night, facing the always feisty Abilene Christian Wildcats of the WAC, an opponent they know well after their 2021 meeting which took the Aggies 2 overtimes and a game-winning 3-point shot from former Aggies Hassan Diarra. After only leading 34-29 at the half, Texas A&M charged their way to a 77-58 victory, where they have now won 20 non-conference games in a row in Reed Arena.
After cruising past Louisiana Monroe 87-54 on Monday night, continuing to improve on offense and develop continuity on defense through their early nonconference schedule was vital before they enter SEC play. As fans begin to realize that this is in fact the deepest and most talented roster head coach Buzz Williams has had during his tenure with Texas A&M, fans once again packed reed arena tonight to support a team that hopes to achieve some pretty lofty goals this season.
From a stat line perspective, the Aggies shot 52.3 percent from the field, hit 6 3-pointers, were an impressive 71.4 percent from the free throw line, and out-rebounded the Wildcats 35-24 on the night. The defense accounted for 10 steals on the night, 7 more than they did in the opener, and held Abilene Christian to 38.5% shooting, though they did shoot 44% from 3.
Overall, the Aggies started out hot from the field, playing fast and efficiently in transition, as almost every player in the starting lineup contributed early, most notably point guard Tyrece Radford who accounted for 13 points and 8 rebounds after going scoreless against Louisiana Monroe. Forward Henry Coleman III had yet another strong night, recording his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Witchita State transfer guard Dexter Dennis continued to impress with his second consecutive double-digit outing, scoring 13 points and 2-4 from 3.
The story of the night however was the incredible performance from sophomore point guard Wade Taylor IV, perhaps the most promising player on the entire roster. On the night, Taylor IV was 5-7, 3-3 from 3, and lead the offense with 21 points, while displaying a fierce competitive spirit on every possession as his growth on the court has continued to lead the team to victory.
In a lower-scoring display from the Aggies bench, Michigan State transfer forward Julius Marble had 4 points, guard Hayden Hefner accounted for 5 points, and guard Manny Obaseki also had a quiet night with 4 points.
Texas A&M will be heading to the Myrtle Beach Invitational next week to face Murray State on Thursday, Nov. 17th at 3:00 PM CT. which will be aired on ESPN 2.
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