On Saturday, the Longhorns looked to extend their home winning streak over Texas A&M to 11 games, but that streak was in jeopardy for most of forty minutes of play at Moody Center. The Aggies led by as many as 22 points in the second half and never trailed Texas until the final seconds. Following a steady second-half comeback to cut the A&M lead to one point, Tramon Mark’s layup with 3.7 seconds left lifted the Longhorns to a 70-69 win.
True Freshman Tre Johnson finished with a career-high 30 points and tied career-highs in free throws made (10-10), assists (4), and blocked shots (2). Tramon Mark finished with 11 points in 25 minutes played. Kadin Shedrick’s team-high eight rebounds were pivotal in the win. Shedrick also had nine points on the day. The Longhorns’ leading rebounder, Arthur Kaluma, did not play due to a left knee injury.
The win was immense for Rodney Terry and the Longhorns (14-6, 3-4), who earned their second-straight and third overall Southeast Conference win. It gave Texas their third Quad 1 win of the season, helping bolster their case for a spot in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The victory was the second straight over a Top-25 opponent and extended Texas’ series record over Texas A&M to 139-87.
Texas A&M started strong, leading 7-2 after Manny Obaseki’s three-point play at 15:33. Jordan Pope’s three-pointer cut the lead to 17-13 with 10:35 left, but the Aggies scored nine straight points, making it 26-13 after Jace Carter’s three-pointer at 9:12.
The Aggies extended their lead to 41-20 with Zhuric Phelps’ three-pointer at 2:45 left, but the Longhorns reduced the gap to 43-25 by halftime. Texas A&M was hot from three-point range, hitting 8-of-15 in the first half.
Texas A&M’s biggest lead was 51-29 with 17:07 left after Wade Taylor IV’s three-pointer. Pharrel Payne’s jumper made it 55-37 at 13:37, but Texas went on a 13-1 run, cutting the lead to 56-50 after Kadin Shedrick’s free throws with 9:16 left.
The Aggies responded with an 8-0 run, making it 64-50 after another Taylor IV three-pointer at 6:43. The Longhorns answered with a 10-0 run, pulling within 64-60 after Jayson Kent’s free throw with 3:48 left.
A&M took a 69-63 lead at 1:46 thanks to Andersson Garcia’s put-back. Texas then made a furious comeback, starting with a Mark layup at 1:25 to make it 69-65. After a defensive stop, Johnson hit a three-pointer, cutting the lead to 69-68 with 46 seconds left. Julian Larry blocked Taylor IV’s layup attempt, and Kadin Shedrick grabbed the rebound. On UT’s final possession, Larry found Mark, who made a left-handed layup to give Texas its only lead of the game. Taylor IV’s long three-point attempt missed at the buzzer.
Texas will travel to Oxford, Mississippi next to face former coach Chris Beard and the Ole Miss Rebels on Wednesday. Tip is scheduled for 8:00 pm CST and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
