Second-half slump in Starkville snaps No. 7 A&M's winning streak
There are amazing possibilities for a Texas A&M basketball team, which has climbed to No. 7 in the national polls and has been projected as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
But on a horrific Tuesday night in Starkville came a startling reminder that nothing can be taken for granted.
An abysmal second-half display put a screeching halt to A&M’s five-game Southeastern Conference winning streak as the Aggies (20-6, 9-4) were overwhelmed 70-54 by No. 21 Mississippi State (19-7, 7-6).
The second half was an exhibition of futility rife with missed shots and plagued by turnovers.
The Aggies converted just one of their first 12 field goal attempts in the half. They also committed a ghastly 14 turnovers in the second half alone, which Mississippi State turned into 20 points.
“We’re playing on a broken floor,” A&M coach Buzz Williams said. “They’re scoring layups. They’re scoring 3s in transition. We’re fouling in transition. That’s just mathematically hard to overcome. That’s a credit to (Mississippi State’s) plan and a credit to their execution.”
The Aggies finished with 19 turnovers. They shot just 35-8 from the field (19-of-53) and shot just 13 free throws. They made eight.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs shot 43.1 percent, hit nine times from 3-point range (seven in the second half) and hit 17-of-20 free throws.
A&M often struggles with inaccuracy but typically compensates with dominant work on the offensive boards for put-backs. The Aggies pulled down 11 offensive rebounds and scored just six second-chance points.
Zhuric Phelps scored 13 points to lead the Aggies, who also got 11 from Wade Taylor IV and CJ Wilcher. But that trio accounted for just 13 points in the second half.
The Aggies also had no answer for Mississippi State guards Josh Hubbard and Claudell Harris Jr., who scored 25 and 15 points, respectively.
Boosted by Wilcher, who came off the bench to hit a trio of 3-pointers, A&M actually led 31-30 at halftime.
“I thought the first half was more like what everybody anticipated,” Williams said. “More of a rock fight.”
Nobody would have anticipated the collapse in the second half.
The Aggies managed just three points in the first nine-and-a-half minutes of the half. They had just 13 points with less than five-and-a-half minutes remaining.
“If you’re outscored (by) 17 points in the second half, there’s probably some outlier stat,” Williams said. “I think ours would be turnovers. There’s different types of turnovers, but a lot of our turnovers in the second half were live-ball turnovers.”
Yet, Williams & Co. still pulled within 44-40 on a Phelps 3-point play with 9:35 left in the match. They remained in strong contention and trailed just 50-44 when Phelps hit a pair of free throws with 5:44 left.
Previously, A&M launched amazing comebacks in victories over Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Missouri. But there would be no miraculous rally.
In the two-and-a-half minutes after Phelps’ free throws, A&M added only a Jace Carter 3-pointer.
By the time Pharrel Payne dunked with 3:04 to play, Mississippi State had a 61-49 lead, and the issue was all but settled.