Wade Taylor IV hit seven 3-pointers in scoring 25 points to lead No. 13 Texas A&M to a 76-72 grind-it-out win over South Carolina on Saturday in a Southeastern Conference clash in Columbia, S.C.
Texas A&M (17-5, 6-3 SEC) led by a baker’s dozen just over one minute into the second half before the Gamecocks rallied, with South Carolina drawing within two points on Collin Murray-Boyles’ dunk with 6:59 to play. The Aggies led 68-59 with 4:14 left after Taylor’s seventh 3-pointer.
South Carolina clawed within three points, 73-70, on a layup by Murray-Boyles with 10 seconds left, but the Aggies clinched the victory with Manny Obaseki and Henry Coleman III combining for three free throws in the final seven seconds.
Coleman finished with 12 points for Texas A&M, which has won four of its past five games.
Murray-Boyles led South Carolina (10-12, 0-9) with 22 points, while Jamarii Thomas scored 15 and Zachary Davis and Morris Ugusuk had 12 apiece.
The Aggies set the tone in the game’s opening minutes, running out to a 12-5 lead when Obaseki canned a 3-pointer at the 16:25 mark of the first half. South Carolina answered, forging an 11-2 run that was capped by a 3-pointer from Thomas with 12:20 to go that gave the Gamecocks the lead at 16-14.
The lead flipflopped three times before the Aggies took control again, expanding their advantage to 32-19 when Andersson Garcia made a basket from beyond the arc with 7:24 until halftime. South Carolina culled its deficit to eight points on four occasions, the final coming when Murray-Boyles’ layup with 11 seconds remaining pulled the Gamecocks within 44-36 at the break.
Taylor led all scorers with 15 points before halftime as the Aggies shot 60 percent from the floor over the first 20 minutes of action. Thomas paced the Gamecocks with 11 first-half points.
Texas A&M rebuilt its lead to 13 points after Taylor nailed a 3-pointer just 1:02 into the second half. The Gamecocks swung back, reeling off the ensuing 11 points to pull within 49-47 after Ugusuk hit a pair of triples.
–Field Level Media
