Texas A&M men’s basketball team bounced back in the second half to secure a 71-54 win over Southern on Tuesday, but it wasn’t easy. The Aggies (4-1) had a tough first half, trailing Southern 39-25 at halftime.
Head coach Buzz Williams wasn’t happy with how his team started. “We need to use our experience to our advantage, and we didn’t in the first half,” he said after the game. “But after halftime, they understood what needed to be done and played much better.”
Despite shooting struggles, A&M got the job done, with guards Zhuric Phelps and Wade Taylor IV leading the way. Phelps scored 17 points, while Taylor added 16. Taylor made 4 of his 10 three-point attempts, while Phelps didn’t hit any of his four threes but did well inside, going 7-for-13 on two-point shots.
One of the biggest stats of the game was the Aggies’ rebounding advantage. They pulled down 55 boards compared to Southern’s 31.
Things didn’t start well for A&M. They made just 2 of their first 15 shots and fell behind by as much as 16 points in the first half. But at halftime, the team knew they had to improve. “We knew that wasn’t Texas A&M basketball,” said forward Henry Coleman III. “We came out in the second half and played our style.”
The Aggies were off from the three-point line, making just 5 of 26 attempts. They also struggled at the free-throw line, hitting only 14 of 26. But Southern had its own shooting issues, making just 6 of 25 three-pointers and 5 of 11 free throws.
Southern’s Jordan Johnson was the top scorer of the game with 19 points. In the first half, he scored 12 points and shot 50% from the field, helping the Jaguars hold their lead. Southern shot well from the field, at 51.6%, and dominated in the paint with 22 points.
Despite the slow start, the Aggies found their rhythm in the second half. Guard Jace Carter said, “We’ve all been in situations like this before. We stayed calm, played our game, and got the win.”
Next up for A&M is a game against Oregon (4-0) on Tuesday at the MGM Arena in Las Vegas.
