The Florida Gators' second-half offensive explosion overwhelmed Texas A&M's defense. Despite late sparks, the Aggies couldn't close the widening gap at Reed Arena.
Texas A&M men’s basketball ran into a buzzsaw Saturday night, as the Aggies couldn’t recover from a slow start and fell 86-67 to the No. 17 Florida Gators inside Reed Arena.
The opening half was defined by defense and frustration.
Both teams went nearly five minutes without a field goal to start the game, but once Florida broke through, the tone shifted quickly. The Gators used stifling on-ball pressure and active help defense to hold Texas A&M to just two points for a long stretch, building a 13-2 advantage midway through the half.
To their credit, the Aggies didn’t fold. With just over eight minutes remaining before halftime, Texas A&M Aggies began chipping away, scoring 17 of their 19 first-half points during a determined push. Still, Florida’s efficiency on the other end proved too much, and the Gators carried a 30-19 lead into the locker room.
Any hopes of a full comeback took a hit early in the second half. Florida came out firing, opening with a 10-1 run that stretched the margin to 52-24 and put the Aggies in a deep hole. Texas A&M responded with an 11-3 burst of its own to show some fight, but the deficit was simply too large to overcome.
Individually, the Aggies saw strong second-half efforts from Pop Isaacs and Marcus Hill.
Isaacs scored all 17 of his team-high points after halftime, providing a spark off the bounce and from deep. Hill also found his rhythm late, tallying 15 of his 17 points in the second period.
Rashaun Agee filled the stat sheet with eight points, 11 rebounds, and five assists, anchoring the interior and facilitating offense when possible.
Despite the loss, Texas A&M took care of the ball, committing just nine turnovers - the fifth time in six games the Aggies have stayed in single digits.
They also continued to control the glass, pulling down 43 rebounds, their third 40-plus rebounding effort in the last four games.
Texas A&M will look to regroup quickly, remaining at home to host Missouri on Wednesday night on SEC Network, aiming to bounce back in conference play.