Shorthanded Aggies erase 21-point deficit to defeat Iowa State, 73-69

ORLANDO, Fla. — Solomon Washington scored a team-high 18 points, and Wade Taylor IV had 14 points to help No. 12 Texas A&M overcome a 21-point first-half deficit to win the third-place game of the ESPN Events Invitational over Iowa State, 73-69.

The Cyclones were on fire in the opening half, making 46.7 percent of their 15 3-point attempts and racing out to a 35-14 advantage with 2:44 remaining before halftime.

During that stretch, A&M was ice cold, making only 8-of-30 field goals (26.7%) and 2-of-13 (15%) from beyond the arc.

However, the Aggies’ pressure defense created turnovers and allowed the Maroon & White to close out the half on a 9-0 run.

That momentum continued to build at the start of the second half as A&M expanded that run to 16-0 to close the gap to 35-30 at the 17:33 mark left in the game. 

Andersson Garcia’s offensive putback with 12:30 remaining in the contest gave the Aggies their first lead, 45-43. A&M never trailed again.

The 21-point comeback is even more remarkable considering A&M was without two of its top scorers in Henry Coleman III and Tyrece Radford. Even the playmaking Taylor had an off-night with a season-high eight turnovers and going 0-of-6 from the 3-point line.

“I just think that speaks to who they are,” A&M head coach Buzz Williams said. “I think the synergy and competitive chemistry that they are playing with is rare. I’m not saying we’re the best team, but there’s a camaraderie there that’s very rare in my career that I’ve seen this early.”

The production void was filled by Washington, Garcia and Hayden Hefner, who all pitched in nine points and combined for 20 rebounds. Wildens Leveque had his best outing as an Aggie with six points and seven rebounds.

“In this particular game, we had more guys who had to do more than they’ve ever done,” Williams said. “And they had to do it all at the same time. Even when we were down 21, there was a level of maturity and calmness knowing they could get it done.”

After a torrid first half, Iowa State cooled off substantially in the second stanza, making just 2-of-19 (11%) 3-point attempts and shooting only 27 percent from the field. They also missed eight free throws to add to their struggles.

Turnovers were also a problem for the Cyclones, committing 16 miscues that helped the Aggies’ big comeback.

With the win, A&M finished the week in Orlando with a 2-1 mark and improved to 6-1 on the young season.

The Aggies will have a quick turnaround as they travel to Charlottesville, Virginia, to take on No. 24 Virginia on Wednesday as part of the newly created ACC/SEC Challenge.