TJ Starks guides A&M to comeback victory on the road at Georgia, 61-60
T.J. Starks made big plays on both ends of the court in the final minute to help Texas A&M pull out a gut-wrenching, 61-60 Southeastern Conference basketball victory over Georgia on Wednesday night in Athens.
Starks gave the Aggies the lead with a mid-lane tear-drop jumper with 58 seconds left and pulled down the rebound on Georgia’s final miss.
The victory likely clinches an NCAA Tournament bid for the Aggies (19-11, 8-9), who outscored the Bulldogs 7-1 in the final three minutes. A&M squandered a nine-point halftime lead and fell behind 59-54 when Georgia star Yante Maten hit a free throw with 3:05 to play.
Admon Gilder drilled a clutch three-pointer to bring A&M within a point with 1:12 remaining.
The Aggies then went to a press and rattled Georgia freshman Teshaun Hightower who threw a poor pass out of bounds. A&M capitalized with Starks’ eventual game-winner. However, several anxious moments remained.
Starks missed the front end of a one-and-one with 12.3 seconds showing, which left an opportunity for Georgia to snatch away the victory. But Georgia guard Juwan Parker got trapped in the corner by Gilder and D.J. Hogg. He missed an off-balanced attempt that Starks rebounded to finally seal the win.
Starks led the Aggies with 15 points. He also had seven rebounds and four assists, but also committed four turnovers and missed all three free throws he attempted. Tyler Davis had 13 points and seven rebounds, while Hogg and Gilder each had 11.
Maten led Georgia (16-13, 7-10) with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Hightower had 11 and guard Tyree Crump had nine — all from three-point range.
The Aggies captured the crucial victory despite converting just 7 of 16 free throws, shooting just 37.5 percent from the field and getting only 19 minutes from forward Robert Williams, who fouled out with 2:28 to play. Williams finished with three points and four rebounds.
Fortunately, A&M also closed strong in the first half, which turned out to be vital.
Starks scored seven straight points and dished to Davis for a layup in a closing 9-3 run that staked the Aggies to a 37-28 lead at the break. A&M outscored Georgia 18-6 in the paint in the first half and got four three-point field goals — two from Gilder.
The Aggies were even more impressive on the defensive end. Georgia managed just one field goal in the final four-and-a-half minutes and was limited to 34.4 percent shooting (11 of 32). However, A&M made just three of their first 11 shots and committed four turnovers in the first eight minutes of the second half.
Later, A&M managed just five points in a cold five minute span which included three consecutive misses from the three-point line. Georgia capitalized on A&M’s inaccuracy and took a 53-52 lead on a pair of Maten free throws with 6:08 to play.
Hightower added a three-pointer at the 4:03 mark and Maten hit the second of two free throws to give Georgia’s its largest lead, 59-54. But a Starks layup and Gilder’s last three-pointer — his third of the game — brought the Aggies back within 60-59.
And Starks' next shot figures to have put A&M back in the NCAA Tournament.