Aggies suffer double-overtime loss to rival Texas in Nashville, 94-89

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Unable to hit the big shot when needed it most, No. 5 seed Texas A&M (22-10) fell 94-89 to 13-seedTexas (19-14) in double overtime on Thursday in the second round of the Southeastern Conference postseason basketball tournament at Bridgestone Arena.

A potential game-tying 3-point attempt by Wade Taylor IV was off the mark in the final 20 seconds.

Earlier, when trailing 87-85 with two minutes to play in the second overtime, the Aggies missed three consecutive shots on one possession.

That was only the culmination of a frustrating day for the Aggies, who had an unfortunate timeout likely cost them a chance to close out the victory in the first overtime.

Taylor scored 29 points to lead the Aggies, but three points that were subtracted may have been the difference between victory and defeat.

A&M held a 78-74 lead midway through the first overtime period with 1:24 remaining when Taylor hit an apparent 3-pointer, which would have given A&M a seven-point lead.

Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

With 29 points in the loss, Wade Taylor IV became the SEC Tournatment’s all-time leading scorer.

But a timeout from the bench nullified the basket.

Instead, Texas rallied and forced a second extra period on a dunk that forged a 79-79 tie with 4.6 seconds left.

Tre Johnson, who scored 20 points to lead six Longhorns in double figures, hit a deep 2-pointer to stake Texas to an 87-85 lead with 2:08 left in the second overtime.

But Taylor and Zhuric Phelps combined to miss three shots on the ensuing possession.

The Aggies eventually pulled within 90-89 on a CJ Wilcher 3-pointer, but Texas’ Kadin Shedrick hit a pair of free throws to keep A&M at bay.

The Aggies trailed 33-27 at halftime but started the second half strong. Andersson Garcia hit a pair of triples, and Taylor added another as the Aggies outscored Texas 13-3 to take a 40-36 lead.

However, Texas rallied and built a 62-53 advantage with eight minutes to play.

Again, the Aggies stormed back and took a 71-70 lead on a Jace Carter 3-pointer with 1:01 remaining.

Texas’ Arthur Kaluma came back with a 3-point play, but Henry Coleman III tied it, 73-73, with a layup. Coleman was fouled, but the free throw spun out of the rim.

Texas’ Tramon Mark then missed a jumper just before the buzzer to send the game into overtime.

Top Scorers: Texas A&M - Wade Taylor IV, 29 points; Texas - Tre Johnson, 20 points

Key Stat: Texas outscored A&M 32-20 in the paint. Also, A&M missed 13 free throws (27 of 40)

Turning Point: Trailing 87-85, A&M missed three chances to tie or take the lead on one possession. The Longhorns followed with a basket to take a four-point lead with 1:06 to play. That was too much for the Aggies to overcome.

It was clinched when: Taylor misfired on a potential game-tying 3-pointer, and Texas rebounded with 16 seconds to go. Jordan Pope then hit two free throws to end any A&M hopes.