The Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team is trending in the right direction during the start of SEC play but they will have to wait for some revenge over their heated rivals.
Texas A&M overcame a slow start on offense and led the entire second half in a 74-70 win over Texas at the Moody Center on Saturday, ending the Longhorns’ two-game winning streak.
Rylan Griffen scored all 17 of his points in the second half while Rashaun Agee had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Aggies. It marked the first win for Texas A&M over Texas in Austin since 2002.
Texas’ Defense Shredded by Texas A&M in Second Half
Texas A&M Aggies guard Jacari Lane dribbles against Texas Longhorns guard Tramon Mark during the first half at Moody Center. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images
The Aggies went 6 of 10 from deep and 15 of 25 from the field in the second half, as Texas’ defense wasn’t able to replicate the defensive effort from the first 20 minutes.
Jordan Pope and Dailyn Swain both scored 17 points apiece while Matas Vokietaitis added 14 points and nine rebounds. Tramon Mark had 13 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Pope got the scoring started with an open triple from the wing but the Aggies made sure that the Longhorns got few easy looks after that.
Texas A&M deployed pesky full-court presses and some tight halfcourt defense that caused the Longhorns to go into a major drought on offense.
Texas was held scoreless for nearly six minutes while Texas A&M put together a strung-out 7-0 run during that stretch. Matas Vokietaitis ended the scoring drought with a free throw before Camden Heide finally got things going for the Longhorns with a corner triple that was followed up by a running layup from Mark.
Despite the slump on offense, Texas led 15-14 but Agee quickly responded with a bucket at the rim for Texas A&M to put the Aggies back in front 16-15 at the 7:29 mark.
The Longhorns started to find their rhythm a bit in the minutes to follow. Vokietaitis put together a personal 6-0 run before Mark hit a game-tying triple at the buzzer to tie the game at 29 heading into halftime.
Coming out of the locker room, the Aggies found their rhythm on offense. Griffen hit three quick triples, which included a four-point play, before Agee convered an and-one to give Texas A&M its largest lead of 10 at 44-34.
In what was already a defense-filled, low-scoring game, the Aggies used this run as a spark that led them all the way to the finish line.
Despite some big shots from Pope, Texas never led in the second half. Texas A&M got hot from deep and routinely beat the Longhorns with back cuts on the baseline. Texas never had a legit answer.
The Longhorns will hit the road looking to bounce back against the Kentucky Wildcats on Wednesday in Lexington.