Trio Of Aggies Score 17 Points In SEC Season-Opening Win Over Florida
Behind a 17-point performance from forward Julius Marble, Texas A&M begins its SEC play on the right note with a 66-63 road win over Florida. Marble finished tied for the team lead in points, and rebounds (6) and led the program in minutes played (30).
Marble, a transfer from Michigan State, shot 8-of-14 from the field and delivered a booming slam dunk off an Andre Gordon missed three-point attempt to silence the crowd at Stephen O'Connell Center with 12:54 remaining in the second half to extend Texas A&M's lead by nine. The Aggies were outgained 9-8 with 4:35 left to keep things closer than expected following tip-off.
The Gators (7-7, 0-2 SEC) jumped out to a 1-0 lead after Texas A&M (9-5, 1-0 SEC) forget its uniforms at the hotel in Gainsville, leading to a 10-minute delay. Once the Aggies took the court, they impressed, going on a 13-6 run within the first 10 minutes of action.
Tyrece Radford finished with 17 points and was 50 percent (1-of-2) from behind the arc. Wade Taylor IV tacked on another 17 points and shot 40 percent (6-of-15) from the paint.
As a team, Texas A&M shot 37.5 percent from the field goal range and was 2-of-16 (12.7 percent) on three-point attempts.
Florida's Colin Castleton made two free throws and added a layup less than 30 seconds later to tie the game at 63 with 1:06 left in regulation but Taylor responded with a layup moments later to make it a two-point game. Radford drew a charge against Florida’s Trey Bonham with seven seconds remaining and was given a pair of free throws to ice the game.
Radford missed the first but made the second to extend the lead to three. Florida would not record another shot to end the game.
Turnovers were the biggest factor for both programs on Wednesday night. The Aggies only committed 10 and Florida scored on just two possessions. The Gators committed 20 turnovers, seven of which were committed by Bonham, who finished with a team-high 21 points.
The Aggies led by as much as 11 points in the first half while Florida's lead never got past two. Winners of three straight, Texas A&M will look to keep its streak alive Saturday at Reed Arena when it takes on SEC West rival LSU.
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