Aggies Hold On Against Florida, Sweep Season Series
The Texas A&M Aggies are still perfect in the SEC.
After notching a win against the Florida Gators in Gainesville, Texas A&M followed that up with one at Reed Arena — sweeping the Gators for the season.
The Aggies have now won four straight games in the series between the two, but the game was far from a blowout. The team found itself narrowly escaping a home loss but ultimately hung on to win 54-52.
The first half epitomized a defensive struggle. Between the schools, 17 turnovers were committed — 14 of them coming in the first 20 minutes. The Aggies held the Gators to their lowest first-half point total of the season with only 12, yet only led by 9 points and recorded their own season-low.
In the second half, both teams came alive. For the Aggies, junior forward Julius Marble led the way and finished the night with 19 points. His performance further backed up Aggies coach Buzz Williams’ statement earlier this season, where he said the team was beginning to rely on Marble and his high level of confidence.
Right behind him was graduate guard Dexter Dennis, who scored 11 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, which helped the Aggies with second-chance points in a game that could have been decided by one shot.
The Gators did what no team has against Texas A&M, however. The first-place team in free throws made and second in free throws attempted only shot seven free throws the entire game, which played a big role in the Aggies’ low-scoring game.
Despite the lack of foul shots, the Aggies found offense down low — outscoring the Gators by 12 inside the paint.
As the second half wound down, both teams found themselves looking for an advantage, which eventually came from senior guard Tyrece Radford, who made a dunk to put the Aggies out front by 5 with less than a minute to play.
However, a made 3 from Florida followed by an Aggie turnover led to the Gators getting a second chance with only four seconds remaining.
Luckily for Texas A&M, the last-second shot from Florida did not fall, and the Aggies went on to win their fifth SEC game in a row, and seventh overall.
Now, Texas A&M only continues to build its case for an NCAA tournament berth, a deep SEC tournament run, and an AP poll ranking. Its next chance to do so will be on the road in Kentucky when the Aggies face the Wildcats in another SEC battle on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
You can follow Matt Guzman on Twitter @mattgzman.
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