Aggies Survive Early Scare, Pull Away Late to Beat Northwestern State
The Texas A&M Aggies were on the wrong side of a home upset right before Christmas, as the Wofford Terriers gave them a loss to ponder over on Dec. 20.
But despite falling behind by as many as 15 to the Northwestern State Demons on Tuesday at Reed Arena, the Aggies (7-5) surged in the second half to come away with a 64-52 win after allowing just 19 points in the final 20 minutes.
The Aggies won despite going just 1 of 12 from deep against a 3-point-happy Demons team that went 13 of 40 from beyond the arc. A&M also overcame a 11-9 loss in the turnover battle.
A&M was powered by Henry Coleman III (24 points, seven rebounds) and Tyrece Radford (21 points, 10 rebounds) while getting contributions from Wade Taylor IV (nine points) and Dexter Dennis (six points, seven rebounds).
Northwestern State was led by steady backcourt contributions from Jamonta' Black (15 points), Isaac Haney (16 points, six rebounds) and Demarcus Sharp (15 points, seven rebounds, six assists).
The Demons (8-5) got out to a convincing 24-12 start behind four 3-point makes and a 10-2 run. Momentum was clearly on their sides, evident by a sequence that featured three offensive rebounds which led to a smooth-looking 3 from Sharp.
Reed Arena was already quiet. But then a collective groan came after Black nailed his third triple of the half to give Northwestern State a 27-12 lead.
But the Aggie defense stepped up while the offense did just enough. A&M put together a 14-3 over a near seven-minute stretch to pull back within four at 30-26 toward the end of the half.
A&M trailed 33-28 at halftime, but burst out of the gates in the second half. The Aggies put together a 9-0 run led by Taylor and Coleman, who gave A&M its first lead of the game at the 18:11 mark of the second half.
Locked in a 42-39 A&M lead, the two team went scoreless for a over two minutes of action before Black hit his fourth triple of the game to tie things up.
But after Radford got a two-point to give A&M back the lead right under the 13-minute mark, the Aggies would never trail the rest of the game.
As the closing minutes approached, A&M built a double-digit lead and never allowed the Demons any hope of closing the gap.
The Aggies will take on the Prairie View A&M Panthers on Friday before beginning SEC play.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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