Texas A&M has experienced dramatic ups and downs and twists and turns in a roller-coaster Southeastern Conference basketball season. And like a thrill ride, it came to an exhilarating end on Saturday with an electrifying 77-69 victory over Arkansas before 8,443 fans at Reed Arena.
The Aggies (16-15, 10-8) overcame a rash of turnovers, held off several threats and finally subdued the Razorbacks (19-12, 7-11) with clutch free throws and a couple of acrobatic dunks in the final three minutes.
Senior night proved a big night for seniors as Wendell Mitchell scored 25 points to equal a career-high and drew four charges, while Josh Nebo had 20 points and seven rebounds to lead the Aggies to their fifth win in their last seven games.
Quenton Jackson added 14 points and Emanuel Miller had seven points and 10 rebounds.
Arkansas' Mason Jones scored 30 points and Isaiah Joe had 22.
A&M’s victory, which avenged a 69-59 loss in Fayetteville on January 4, clinched a No. 7 seed in next week’s Southeastern Conference Tournament in Nashville. The Aggies will face No. 10 seed Missouri (15-16, 7-11) on Thursday at 6 p.m.
The win also enhances the Aggies’ hopes of earning an invitation to a postseason tournament. Not bad for a team that was ranked 12th in preseason SEC polls.
Jamie Maury, TexAgs
Wendell Mitchell scored a career-high 25 points and buried five 3-pointers in his final game at Reed Arena.
“I think we just proved it’s not as much about what people say; it’s what you do behind closed doors,” Nebo said. “It’s about how together you are as a team. It didn’t matter if people pick you first or last. It just depends on what you do between the lines.”
As has been the case with their season, the Aggies were good and bad — or perhaps up and down — between the lines on Saturday.
They committed 17 turnovers — 11 in the first half — and late in the second half were connecting just 47.8 percent (11 of 23) at the free throw line. But the Aggies out-rebounded Arkansas 41-25, allowed just four second-chance points and converted eight consecutive free throws in the final three minutes to stave off a Razorback rally.
A&M held a precarious five-point lead with less than three minutes remaining when Arkansas’ Desi Sills lost control of the basketball on a baseline drive and Nebo snatched it up.
Jackson was soon fouled — one of 29 called on the Razorbacks — and Arkansas coach Bill Musselman drew a technical foul complaining.
“I got a technical,” Musselman said. “There’s no use talking about it. What are you going to do get fined?”
Mitchell and Jackson drained four consecutive free throws to give A&M a 69-60 advantage. The Aggies protected the lead with spectacular alley-oop dunks by Jackson and Nebo.
The momentum actually shifted to A&M late in the first half. Arkansas held a 28-21 lead, but the Aggies closed the half with a 12-2 run over the last 3:13. The highlight was an amazing sequence in the final minute.
Miller made a diving save on the sideline for a defensive rebound after a missed 3-pointer by Joe. That led to a Mitchell layup that gave the Aggies a 31-30 lead with 39 seconds showing.
Then after a turnover, Nebo grabbed the Aggies’ third consecutive missed shot and dunked the rebound just before the buzzer to bring the crowd to its feet.
Jamie Maury, TexAgs
Quenton Jackson electrified the crowd and the A&M bench with an alley-oop from Mitchell that was as timely as it was spectacular.
“I feel like it was a huge momentum builder,” Mitchell said. “E-man sparked it. I think he had three rebounds in a row, saved the ball, came back in, kept the ball alive. I took the 3, Nebo got the dunk. The energy he brought at that moment was sensational.”
Later he added: “The end of the first half that was an amazing boost. That’s like the most energy I’ve ever seen as far as teammates (and) the crowd in the arena. It was a real surreal moment.”
A&M coach Buzz Williams agreed.
“I thought it was as lively as Reed Arena has been in my tenure here,” he said. “Incredible intangible effort plays in that sequence. First to the floor. An unclean rebound. Never assuming we had possession or they had possession.”
The Aggies maintained the lead in the second half by matching Arkansas’ threats with clutch shots. Four times the Razorbacks hit shots to pull within three points or less. Each time the Aggies answered with a 3-point goal — three by Mitchell and another by Jay Jay Chandler.
A&M finally gained some separation with Mitchell and Savion Flagg hitting 3-pointers in a 7-0 run that provided a 60-50 lead with 8:54 left.
Arkansas pulled within 65-60 on a Joe 3-pointer with just over four minutes remaining.
Soon afterward the Aggies took control at the free throw line to finish their remarkable SEC run.
