Perfection from Jackson fuels offensive explosion as A&M tops Georgia, 91-77
Even in times of trouble, there are instances when glimpses of wonderful possibilities can be seen.
Texas A&M’s 91-77 Southeastern Conference basketball victory over Georgia on Tuesday night at Reed Arena was one of those instances.
The Aggies (17-11, 6-9) excelled in many of the areas in which they’ve often struggled.
They completed layups (20-of-24), 3-pointers (34.8 percent), free throws (76 percent), limited turnovers (nine) and kept Georgia off the offensive boards (two). They also did not allow any second-chance points and finished both the first half and game strong.
“Our tenacity, our intensity, our competitive spirit, our consecutiveness from start to finish was the best it’s been all year long,” Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams said. “I think that was the difference in the game.
“I don’t think it was the plays. I don’t think it was if they were in zone or man. I think it was the mentality in which they competed. I thought the guys that played today played with an edge that we need to play with going forward from start to finish.”
Leading the way was senior guard Quenton Jackson, who turned in a magnificent effort in perhaps the best showing of his career.
Jackson hit all 11 of his field-goal attempts en route to a career-high-tying 31 points. He also had four assists, a season-high six steals to account for the lion’s share of Georgia’s 20 turnovers. He even blocked a shot.
Of course, cynics could dismiss the Aggies’ performance as a byproduct of playing Georgia (6-22, 1-14), the SEC’s worst team. There would be some truth to that claim.
The Bulldogs had little else other than guard Kario Oquendo, who scored a game-high 33 points.
But the Aggies needed a late 3-pointer to defeat Georgia 81-79 in Athens earlier this season. The Bulldogs also upset No. 24 Alabama and fell to No. 3 Auburn by two points.
They appeared to be a threat again as Jabi Abdur-Rahim, Noah Baumann and Oquendo hit consecutive 3-pointers to give Georgia a 21-14 lead midway through the first half.
However, Andre Gordon drained 3-pointers to start and end a 14-0 A&M run. The Aggies never let up and took a 48-37 halftime lead when Jackson, in transition, spun in the air to avoid and charge and dropped off a pass to Henry Coleman III.
Coleman III followed with a rim-shaking dunk for the two most impressive points of his 15.
“Honestly, I was thinking about dunking it. Then I seen him (Georgia defender) stepping up for the charge,” Jackson said. “Last game against Vandy, I think I had four fouls — all of them offensive — from not playing off two feet. To avoid him (defender), I kind of just turned around, and I seen Henry right there and just dropped it off.”
The Aggies had no drop-off in the second half. They maintained a double-digit lead most of the last 20 minutes.
A&M had led by as many as 17 points in the second half in the previous game, but Georgia stormed back.
The Bulldogs appeared to launch another comeback bid as Baumann and Oquendo hit 3-pointers to bring Georgia within 62-55 with 10 minutes left.
This time, though, Hassan Diarra answered with a 3-pointer. A&M then outscored Georgia 13-4 over the next two minutes to take full control.
“I think when it got to within seven, we scored that next possession,” Williams said. “I was thinking about calling a timeout, but I didn’t think their run was because of our lack of effort. And we did respond.”
Jackson said the Aggies just showed what they are capable of.
“I think tonight showed when we do what we’re supposed to do, we can have fun,” Jackson said. “You can play like this. You can score 91 points. Everybody can play. Everybody can be free.
“We’ve just got to make sure we locked in on the defensive end because that’s where it all starts. Just keep hooping. Just keep trusting each other.”
