As is typically the case, Texas A&M rebounded on Tuesday night.
The No. 13 Aggies (16-5, 5-3) rebounded 47 times in a 75-68 Southeastern Conference victory over Oklahoma (15-5, 2-5) at Reed Arena.
Actually, they rebounded 48 times if you count how the Aggies rebounded from a disappointing loss at Texas on Saturday.
This time, the Aggies dominated the boards. Surprisingly, they were almost automatic at the free-throw line, and they made the clutch plays in the final four minutes to close out the victory and purge that loss to Texas in which they were unable to hold a 22-point lead.
“I think our guys are very accepting of the thin margin that this league has turned into,” A&M coach Buzz Williams said. “It’s not always going to have the appropriate result. We failed on Saturday. We’re disappointed with ourselves.
“But four days before (in a 63-62 win at Ole Miss) and multiple other times, I think we’ve done good. So we’re thankful for how it transpired tonight.”
Without starters Hayden Hefner and Solomon Washington, A&M only led 31-30 at the break and pushed out to an eight-point lead on five occasions in the second half.
Still, the Sooners pulled within 63-61 with 4:14 to play with a layup by guard Brycen Goodine, who led OU with 24 points.
The Aggies did not flinch.
Down the stretch, they hit 8-of-9 free throws. Wade Taylor IV converted a conventional 3-point play. Zhuric Phelps drove for a spectacular reverse layup. Henry Coleman III hit four consecutive free throws in the final 30 seconds to stave off the Sooners’ last-gasp comeback bid.
Phelps ended with 15 points to lead a balanced offensive attack. Coleman had 14. Taylor had 12. Manny Obaseki had 10. Pharrel Payne posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Andersson Garcia just missed a double-double with nine points and 12 boards.
A&M has frequently been erratic at the foul line. In Austin, the Aggies hit just 3-of-8 free throws. They got to the free throw line 35 times and converted a whopping 29.
The difference?
“We hired a new coach who’s in charge of free throw shooting,” joked Williams, who coaches free throws. “We’re going to try to see if we can get him an extension.”
Coleman said that accuracy was inevitable.
“We’ve shot 100 free throws every single day since August,” Coleman said. “I think our habits are coming out and just going to keep compounding. It was kind of brought to life tonight.”
Free-throw shooting was excellent. Yet, that wasn’t even where the Aggies excelled the most. Their board work was incredible.
Not only did the Aggies notch 47 rebounds, but 21 were on the offensive end. That led to 20 second-chance points.
Also, they limited OU to just two offensive boards and a mere 19 overall.
Williams said A&M rebounded 93 percent on the defensive end and 55 percent on the offensive glass.
“To be able to accumulate those misses at the rate we did was huge,” he said.
Oklahoma coach Porter Moser, once an A&M assistant, said the Aggies were just too physical on the boards for the Sooners to overcome.
“We want to be great at what you're good at,” he said. “I think A&M is great at what they’re great at. They don’t take nights off physically. They don’t take nights off playing hard.
“It wears on you. We only had two offensive rebounds. Last game, we had 15 points on second-chance points. We didn’t get that tonight. That was the difference.”
