Aggies Survive Bulldogs' Rally for Fourth Straight Win
Coming off a signature win over No, 25 Alabama on Wednesday, Texas A&M went into Saturday night's regular-season finale against Mississippi State with much to play for.
The Aggies' win over the Bulldogs (17-14, 8-10 SEC) at Reed Arena not only gives Texas A&M (20-11, 9-9) momentum heading into the SEC Tournament next week, but increases the chances at being considered for a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Texas A&M guard Quenton Jackson continued his strong with 18 points on 6-8 shooting. The Aggies shot 6-19 from deep and 43 percent from the floor.
Bulldogs guard Iverson Molinar, the SEC's third-leading scorer at 17.9 points, but was held below his average with 15 points. Forward Tolu Smith was a perfect 8-8 shooting for 18 points.
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The Aggies were hot from deep in the first 10 minutes, making four 3s to build a 20-12 lead. A&M was aggressive drive to the basketball and moving the ball for open shots.
Jackson's only miss of the first half was an in-and-out 3-pointer at the buzzer. He led all scorers with a 12 points on a handful of flashy plays, as the Aggies led 33-22 headed to the locker room.
The Bulldogs had nine first-half turnovers against the punishing defense of A&M. The Aggies, fourth in the nation in steals per game, had seven swipes in the first half.
A&M built a 19-point lead in less than six minutes to start the second half.
But after an A&M six-minute scoring drought helped Mississippi State cut the lead to nine, Wade Taylor IV nailed one from deep to push A&M's lead to 48-36.
The Bulldogs had stayed resilient, pulling within 58-54. Molinar hit a floater for State to slice A&M's lead to three with 1:26 left. It was the first time the game had been within one possession since the Aggies led 5-2 in the first half.
Four late A&M free throws put an end to State's comeback and signaled a strong finish in league play for the Aggies. A&M has now won five of six after enduring an eight-game league losing streak earlier in the season.
The Aggies are the No. 8 seed in the SEC tournament and will play No. 9 Florida on Thursday.
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