Texas A&M Forward Calls Loss to UCF 'Unacceptable' After Late-Game Collapse

Texas A&M basketball suffered its first home loss of the season against the UCF Knights in 86-74 fashion on Saturday night as the Aggies have dropped two games in a row. To add salt to the wound, it is the second straight loss in which A&M was favored.

The Aggies maintained a loose grip on the Knights through the halfway point of the second half, leading by as much as 14 points before their Big 12 foes erupted on a 30-6 run that effectively buried A&M's chances to bounce back after losing on the road to Oklahoma State.

Neither A&M players nor coaching staff were pleased with the collapse after halftime, with forward Zach Clemence making clear his opinion on how he felt about the Aggies losing in the way that they did.

'We Got To Change'

Nov 6, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies guard Ruben Dominguez (9) drives against Texas Southern Tigers forward Troy Hupstead (2) during the second half at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Following the loss to the Knights, Clemence sat alongside guard Rubén Dominguez to give his take on what occured in the waning moments of the second half.

"[UCF] made shots towards the end, we got to change for sure. That was unacceptable," Clemence said. "It is what it is but we have to learn from it."

Despite a 17-3 run to break out of a 30-30 tie at halftime, the Aggies were hold onto what very well should have allowed them to pull away early before the end of the game.

"We're a new team, we're going to have ups and downs," Clemence said. "[The run] was an up for sure, and it's a peak of what we can be."

While the ability to score truly is there for the Aggies, it's a matter of keeping pace of defense. For years under former head coach Buzz Williams, A&M was always a defensive-minded program that was known for its' ability to get rebounds at an almost head-spinning rate.

However, the flaw of that system was the inability to score and cash in on those rebounds, and it would appear that four games into the season, A&M has the inverse of the issues that had kept it from claiming Southeastern Conference championships under Williams.

Luckily for head coach Bucky McMillan, Clemence is right to point out that the unit is still trying to get its feet underneath it, and there are many opportunities to improve as the season goes on. Perhaps with the return of Indiana transfer Mackenzie Mgbako later in the year, the Aggies can catch fire when it matters and upset SEC competition in the future.