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Wade Taylor IV Misses First Game of Career, Texas A&M Aggies Beat Houston Christian

Texas A&M Aggies guard Wade Taylor IV missed the win over Houston Christian.

Zach Dimmitt

Texas A&M Aggies guard Wade Taylor IV (4) and Texas A&M Aggies forward Pharrel Payne (21) talk to Texas A&M Aggies head coach Buzz Williams Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, during the NCAA men’s basketball game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Texas A&M Aggies guard Wade Taylor IV (4) and Texas A&M Aggies forward Pharrel Payne (21) talk to Texas A&M Aggies head coach Buzz Williams Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, during the NCAA men’s basketball game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball continues to stay hot as non-conference play comes to a close and the high-level SEC gauntlet approaches.

No. 12 Texas A&M cruised to a 77-45 win over Houston Christian at Reed Arena Friday afternoon and did so without star guard Wade Taylor IV, who missed the first game of his collegiate career.

"It's our first time doing it. There were some parts that were good," said Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams of Taylor IV's absence. "When you've taken every snap of every down, of every game, of every practice, it's different."

With Taylor IV sitting, guard Hayden Hefner finished with a game-high 19 points while Zhuric Phelps (10 points) and Manny Obaseki (13 points, four assists) and Pharrel Payne (10 points) also reached double figures.

The Huskies took an early 3-2 lead after an and-1 from Julian Mackey but Texas A&M quickly jumped back in front and never looked back. Hefner had five quick points in less than a minute after that play, a sign of things to come for him. The Aggies went on a 9-0 run near the end of the first half and headed into halftime up 35-23.

Hefner had a 6-0 scoring burst to start the second half as the Aggies held Houston Christian to just one field goal in the first seven minutes. Despite only trailing by 12 at half, this scoring drought derailed any chance the Huskies had at staying competitive late.

After a successful first two months of the season, the Aggies will finish off non-conference play against Abilene Christian on Saturday, Dec. 28. Texas A&M will take its impressive resume -- which includes wins over Oregon, Creighton, Ohio State, Purdue and Texas Tech -- into SEC play.

Texas A&M's conference opener is against the Texas Longhorns in College Station on Saturday, Jan. 1 at 7 p.m. CT.

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

Zach Dimmitt is the Deputy Editor for Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He also contributes as a writer for the On SI channels of the Oregon Ducks, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Bills on SI, Philadelphia Eagles on SI and Seattle Seahawks on SI. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Dimmitt received his Bachelor’s Degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. He originally started with SI’s Fan Nation network in 2021, providing extensive coverage of the NFL and NBA along with college football and basketball. In that time, Dimmitt has published thousands of stories and has reached millions of people across multiple fan bases. You can follow him on X at @ZachDimmitt7

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