Resilient Ags offer dramatic reminder in OT victory over No. 6 Kentucky

Recent shooting struggles made it easy to forget Texas A&M earlier this season was as high as No. 12 in the national basketball rankings.

On Saturday afternoon, the Aggies (10-6, 1-2) offered an emphatic, dramatic reminder of just how good they are in a stunning 97-92 Southeastern Conference overtime victory over No. 6 Kentucky (12-3, 1-2) at Reed Arena.

A&M was boosted by an offensive outburst from guards Wade Taylor IV and Tyrece Radford, who combined for 59 points.

Radford converted three of four free throws in the final 39 seconds of overtime to seal the win.

Also, A&M turned clutch defensively when needed most against Kentucky, which is second in the nation in scoring. The Wildcats were denied a single field goal in overtime.

Further, the Aggies showed mental toughness to overcome three highly questionable officials’ calls, including two in the final minute of regulation.

All that combined for a Lazarus-like performance for a team that some may have left for dead after SEC-opening losses to LSU and Auburn.

Instead, it was the kind of win that could change A&M’s trajectory in the conference race.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Sealing the game at the line, Tyrece Radford’s 28 points are a season-high.

“I think we should look at every game like that because we started off 0-2,” Taylor said. “Every game in this league is big. You never know who’s going to be on. This was the right step in that direction.”

The Aggies — who entered the game ranked 346th in the nation in 3-point percentage — hit a dozen from behind the arc.

Taylor — who suffered through a difficult shooting night at Auburn — bounced back to score 31 points, with 18 coming from 3-point range.

Radford had 28. Jace Carter came off the bench to score nine. The Aggies also grabbed 25 offensive rebounds, which they parleyed into 21 second-chance points.

The Wildcats were paced by guard Antonio Reeves with 22 points and guard D.J. Wagner with 18. They led four players in double figures.

Overcoming Kentucky’s powerful offense was difficult enough, but A&M also had to deal with some strange calls that enraged most of the crowd of 9,540, which made it difficult for the Aggies, too.

A&M never trailed after Taylor hit a 3-pointer for a 79-76 lead with just under four minutes remaining but had to survive precarious moments in the final minute.

Henry Coleman III appeared to score a tip-in to give the Aggies an 89-87 lead with 27.8 seconds left in regulation. However, the bucket was waved off upon review due to offensive basket interference.

Undeterred, Andersson Garcia stole the basketball from Wagner with 10 seconds left. That led to Radford converting two free throws for an 89-87 lead.

Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham misfired on a 3-point attempt, and neither team controlled the rebound.

As players for both teams converged on the loose ball, Radford was called for a foul with less than a second remaining.

Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard hit two free throws to force overtime.

The Aggies dominated the extended period, especially on the defensive end. Kentucky was 0-for-8 from the field and managed just three free throws.

Holding a 94-89 lead, the Aggies appeared to clinch the victory on a Radford 3-pointer with 48.2 seconds left.

Instead, Radford was whistled for an offensive foul.

“I thought it was an and-one at first,” Radford said. “I looked at the ref that called it. I was like … Really? But it’s cool.”

Kentucky couldn’t capitalize on the break.

“We did a lot of great things tonight,” Taylor said. “I think we showed how resilient we are and how the Aggies play.”

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Wildens Leveque grabbed seven rebounds, including five offensive boards. The 6-foot-11 forward also contributed four points.

Kentucky coach John Calipari warned his Wildcats that A&M was extra dangerous because of those opening SEC losses.

“They were laser-focused,” Calipari said. “I told our team they’re desperate. They’re a desperate team at home. They’ve got to have this game. Let’s make it hard for them to beat us.”

A&M coach Buzz Williams wouldn’t say the Aggies were desperate, but he wants them to continue to play like they are.

“I hope that we play with some level of desperation and that level of competitive character regardless,” he said. “We didn’t (last) Saturday (against LSU). I thought we did on Tuesday (against Auburn).

“I’m hopeful we can continue on this path of the things that we have built relative to what’s important to our program.”