Texas A&M earns top-25 win over Creighton in Las Vegas, 77-73
Lucky number 21.
The phrase reigns true at blackjack tables in Vegas and with the signature wins on A&M’s resume.
In the second of back-to-back games at the Players Era Festival, No. 20 Texas A&M (5-2) defeated No. 21 Creighton (4-3) with a late surge, 77-73.
Wednesday represents the 100th win for head coach Buzz Williams at Texas A&M, but that wasn’t the only accomplishment for the Maroon & White.
Senior point guard Wade Taylor IV passed Joseph Jones for third place on the program’s all-time scoring list. This marks back-to-back games in which Taylor has passed an Aggie icon on the all-time scoring list, as he moved into fourth place above Acie Law IV yesterday.
After taking down No. 21 Ohio State 78-64 at Reed Arena two weeks ago, the Aggies hit another natural blackjack with the 21st-ranked Bluejays.
With star guard Steven Ashworth back in the lineup after suffering an ankle injury last week, Creighton used his spark to get off to an early 8-0 lead.
“They’re a really good team with No. 1 back,” Williams said at halftime. “They’re a completely different team than they were at this time yesterday.”
Ashworth knocked down three 3-point goals in the first half on his way to 14 points in the game, but his guard-mate Pop Isaacs made the Aggies pay all night.
Isaacs, a Texas Tech transfer, knocked down his second first-half 3-pointer to give the Bluejays a nine-point lead. He finished with 25 points and five triples.
Needing a spark of their own, “Four” hit a 3-pointer to reach the 1,681 career points to pass “The Pride of Normangee.”
“Statistically speaking, you could argue by the time his career is over that he’s the best player that’s ever played here,” Williams said. “He’s always a good player, but how he responded as a leader was great. When you’re the best player, you have to be the best player and the best leader. That’s a lot to manage, but he’s good enough to do that.”
Taylor’s 11 first-half points paced the offense as his four fellow starters combined for just five points.
Despite the inefficient start, the Aggies trailed by just four at the half, 31-27.
Solomon Washington knocked down a 23-footer two minutes into the second half to give the Aggies the lead 34-33.
From that point on, it felt like March in November.
“I actually felt that. I thought multiple times in those timeouts, the ambiance, the environment and the level of competition,” Williams said about the game feeling like March in November. “It’s before Thanksgiving, and we normally do that after spring break.”
Eleven lead changes down the stretch made for an instant classic, with both teams desperate to play a winning hand.
But it was the Aggies who weren’t leaving the table empty-handed.
Despite making just five 3-pointers to Creighton’s 13, winning the rebounding battle 48-37 and totaling 23 second-chance points proved to be the difference for A&M.
Isaacs and Jackson McAndrew came alive in the second half for 28 points and gave the Bluejays the lead with 58 seconds left, 70-69.
Washington’s conventional 3-point play with 35 seconds left gave the Aggies the lead back, and they refused to give it up as easily as they did last night.
In a reversal of fortunes, the Maroon & White outscored the Bluejays 8-3 over the last 35 seconds, avenging their poor finish against Oregon.
“I thought our guys responded really well relative to what we were deficient at yesterday,” Williams said. “The team we played today is good enough to play anywhere and beat anybody.”
Up next, Williams & Co. will play either No. 6 Houston, No. 9 Alabama, Rutgers or Notre Dame at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday to conclude the Players Era Festival.