Saturday, February 15
Bryan-College Station
11:00 AM
Texas A&M
20-5,9-3SEC
69
vs
61
Arkansas
15-10,4-8SEC
1
2
F
Arkansas
28
33
61
Texas A&M
33
36
69
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
Team Stats
AR
AM
FG%
.417
.421
3FG%
.333
.300
FT%
.737
.714
RB
32
35
TO
17
10
STL
7
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
7
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Craig Bisacre/Texas A&M Athletics
No. 8 Aggies Pull Away for 69-61 Victory over Razorbacks
Feb 15, 2025 | Men's Basketball
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – Powered by Wade Taylor IV's game-high 18 points and nine assists, the No. 8 Texas A&M men's basketball team tallied its 20th victory of the season with a 69-61 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday at Reed Arena.
The Aggies' fifth straight victory improved their season record to 20-5 overall and 9-3 vs. SEC opponents. It marks Texas A&M's fourth straight 20-win campaign and keeps the Aggies within striking distance of the SEC leaders Auburn and Alabama. The Razorbacks fell to 15-10 overall and 4-8 in league play.
Taylor, the two-time first-team All-SEC selection, matched his season high with 35 minutes of action while hitting 7-of-8 from the free throw line and a trio of trey to get to 18 points. His nine assists were just off his career high of 10 but matched his career best against a SEC opponent (nine vs. Arkansas last season).
The final margin of victory and the Aggies' nearly 29:00 of lead time do not reflect the true battle between the Aggies and Hogs. The Razorbacks never led in the second half, but were tied or within a single possession of the Aggies nine times in the hard-fought battle.
Down the stretch of the second half, the Aggies thwarted the Hogs' advances with a series of defensive stops while getting key buckets from multiple players, including three clutch layups from the "Dominican Rodman," Andersson Garcia.
A key 9-0 run by the Aggies after the Razorbacks knotted the contest at 50-50 with 9:24 gave the Maroon & White breathing room that they never relinquished. The Aggies took their biggest lead of the game with an 11-point advantage with 2:45 remaining on a Garcia free throw. Arkansas made a mini-run late with a pair of 3-pointer from 7-foot-2 center Zvonimir Ivisic, but a clutch jumper from Zhuric Phelps and free throws from Phelps and Taylor kept the Hogs at bay.
While Taylor filled the stat sheet, the play of Garcia was crucial in the Aggies' victory. The Aggies were an astonishing plus-27 points when the graduate forward from the Dominican Republic was on the floor. In 25 minutes of action, Garcia scored 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting while pulling down five rebounds, including four off the offensive glass, dishing out three assists and posting a pair of steals.
Also filling the stat sheet was Phelps, who scored 12 points, grabbed a season-high nine defensive rebounds and made four steals against the Hogs.
The Aggies' defense put the clamps on the Hogs, who entered the game hitting 46.7% of their field goal attempts, but managed just 41.5% on 20-of-48 shots from the field. Arkansas was the 10th opponent to be held to 20 or fewer field goals against the Aggies. Texas A&M also harassed the Hogs into committing 17 turnovers that led to 22 points for the Aggies.
The Aggies took their biggest lead of the first half into the break at 33-28, as the Maroon & White rallied from an early lull that saw the Razorbacks race to an 8-0 lead at the first media timeout. Texas A&M matched the Hogs' streak with 9-0 streak of their own to grab its first lead right before the next media timeout. Pacing the Aggies' effort in the first 20 minutes was Phelps who delivered seven points and six rebounds, while Taylor chipped in four assists.
Postgame Quotes
Coach Buzz Williams
On the impact of Solo and Andy when they are on the floor....
"They were both impacting the game, arguably as much as any other game, and I thought the symmetry that they were playing with was tremendous. Solo continues to find his voice. He knows exactly what to do. He knows exactly what to do before I do. He's starting to say it out loud and that's not only growing him up, but I think it's growing our group up. Andy, he's not vocal, you can read his body language easily and he does things that you can't teach. I think Solo's confidence in what is best for him. He's in a groove that he's never been in. Andy is the most unselfish player I've ever coached, and he never wants to do anything that's not positive for the team."
On the ability to keep players in the program...
"It's incredibly hard to do what we're doing within college athletics. You can't point to one person or one thing, and all of it is such subliminal messaging. I try to make sure that I have my emotions in check before I say anything and try to have great humility and the opportunity to be a part of this, but what has transpired here and is transpiring here, not the results, all of the things that led to the results, I think it's absolutely historical and I'm very humbled by it, I have great joy in it, and I do not take anything for granted."
Senior Guard Zhuric Phelps
On the fast break opportunities…
"We were a bit slow in the beginning, so we tried to let our defense do the work. If we are not scoring, then we know that we have to still do our part on defense. Getting those stops, we knew that our offense would come later in the game. Guarding and sticking to our foundation allowed us to get our offense going."
Graduate Forward Andersson Garcia
On his play of late…
"I don't know if I'm playing my best basketball right now. The only thing I care about is the win. I don't care if I score or not. If I'm in there playing well and my team gets the win, that is all I care about."
The Aggies' fifth straight victory improved their season record to 20-5 overall and 9-3 vs. SEC opponents. It marks Texas A&M's fourth straight 20-win campaign and keeps the Aggies within striking distance of the SEC leaders Auburn and Alabama. The Razorbacks fell to 15-10 overall and 4-8 in league play.
Taylor, the two-time first-team All-SEC selection, matched his season high with 35 minutes of action while hitting 7-of-8 from the free throw line and a trio of trey to get to 18 points. His nine assists were just off his career high of 10 but matched his career best against a SEC opponent (nine vs. Arkansas last season).
The final margin of victory and the Aggies' nearly 29:00 of lead time do not reflect the true battle between the Aggies and Hogs. The Razorbacks never led in the second half, but were tied or within a single possession of the Aggies nine times in the hard-fought battle.
Down the stretch of the second half, the Aggies thwarted the Hogs' advances with a series of defensive stops while getting key buckets from multiple players, including three clutch layups from the "Dominican Rodman," Andersson Garcia.
A key 9-0 run by the Aggies after the Razorbacks knotted the contest at 50-50 with 9:24 gave the Maroon & White breathing room that they never relinquished. The Aggies took their biggest lead of the game with an 11-point advantage with 2:45 remaining on a Garcia free throw. Arkansas made a mini-run late with a pair of 3-pointer from 7-foot-2 center Zvonimir Ivisic, but a clutch jumper from Zhuric Phelps and free throws from Phelps and Taylor kept the Hogs at bay.
While Taylor filled the stat sheet, the play of Garcia was crucial in the Aggies' victory. The Aggies were an astonishing plus-27 points when the graduate forward from the Dominican Republic was on the floor. In 25 minutes of action, Garcia scored 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting while pulling down five rebounds, including four off the offensive glass, dishing out three assists and posting a pair of steals.
Also filling the stat sheet was Phelps, who scored 12 points, grabbed a season-high nine defensive rebounds and made four steals against the Hogs.
The Aggies' defense put the clamps on the Hogs, who entered the game hitting 46.7% of their field goal attempts, but managed just 41.5% on 20-of-48 shots from the field. Arkansas was the 10th opponent to be held to 20 or fewer field goals against the Aggies. Texas A&M also harassed the Hogs into committing 17 turnovers that led to 22 points for the Aggies.
The Aggies took their biggest lead of the first half into the break at 33-28, as the Maroon & White rallied from an early lull that saw the Razorbacks race to an 8-0 lead at the first media timeout. Texas A&M matched the Hogs' streak with 9-0 streak of their own to grab its first lead right before the next media timeout. Pacing the Aggies' effort in the first 20 minutes was Phelps who delivered seven points and six rebounds, while Taylor chipped in four assists.
Postgame Quotes
Coach Buzz Williams
On the impact of Solo and Andy when they are on the floor....
"They were both impacting the game, arguably as much as any other game, and I thought the symmetry that they were playing with was tremendous. Solo continues to find his voice. He knows exactly what to do. He knows exactly what to do before I do. He's starting to say it out loud and that's not only growing him up, but I think it's growing our group up. Andy, he's not vocal, you can read his body language easily and he does things that you can't teach. I think Solo's confidence in what is best for him. He's in a groove that he's never been in. Andy is the most unselfish player I've ever coached, and he never wants to do anything that's not positive for the team."
On the ability to keep players in the program...
"It's incredibly hard to do what we're doing within college athletics. You can't point to one person or one thing, and all of it is such subliminal messaging. I try to make sure that I have my emotions in check before I say anything and try to have great humility and the opportunity to be a part of this, but what has transpired here and is transpiring here, not the results, all of the things that led to the results, I think it's absolutely historical and I'm very humbled by it, I have great joy in it, and I do not take anything for granted."
Senior Guard Zhuric Phelps
On the fast break opportunities…
"We were a bit slow in the beginning, so we tried to let our defense do the work. If we are not scoring, then we know that we have to still do our part on defense. Getting those stops, we knew that our offense would come later in the game. Guarding and sticking to our foundation allowed us to get our offense going."
Graduate Forward Andersson Garcia
On his play of late…
"I don't know if I'm playing my best basketball right now. The only thing I care about is the win. I don't care if I score or not. If I'm in there playing well and my team gets the win, that is all I care about."
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