A 22-0 run is a good way to win a ballgame
Down nine points at halftime, the No. 8 Texas A&M men’s basketball team used to a dominating second half to rally past the Georgia Bulldogs, 69-53, on Tuesday at Reed Arena.
Hot diggity dawg ‼️#GigEm | @AzunaFresh pic.twitter.com/ol0D7y9tg8
— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) February 12, 2025
The Aggies’ fourth-straight win pushed their season record to 19-5 overall and 8-3 in SEC play, which puts them in a tie for third place in the SEC standings. The Bulldogs lost their second straight game, falling to 17-7 overall and 4-8 in league play. It was the Aggies’ sixth straight win over the Bulldogs and 10th victory in the last 11 meetings.
The Aggies shot just 25% in the first half and found themselves in a 32-23 hole at the break but came out of the locker room as a different team. The Maroon & White outscored the Bulldogs 46-21 in the final 20 minutes as they erased the deficit and turned it into a double-digit lead just over halfway through the second stanza. The lead grew to as many as 21 points with 4:08 remaining before the Bulldogs narrowed the Aggies’ lead to the final 16-point margin of victory.
Texas A&M’s defense was the star of the second half as the Bulldogs failed to make their first field goal of the second half until the 7:20 mark. The Aggies limited the Bulldogs to 4-of-22 field goal attempts (18.2%), including 1-of-11 from beyond the arc (9.1%).
Powering the second-half surge offensively were junior Solomon Washington and senior Zhuric Phelps, who both turned in 10 points in the final 20 minutes. Phelps scored all 10 of his total points in the second half and produced two of his three steals, while Washington scored a quick six points to force a UGA timeout before the first media time out.
Washington was the team’s leading scorer for the first time this season as he finished with season-high 17 points on 7-of-12 shots, with a pair of treys, and five rebounds. Joining him in double figures were graduate Henry Coleman III with 13 points, graduate Wade Taylor IV with 12 and Phelps. Coleman paced the team with six rebounds while leading a team effort on the boards that yielded a 42-31 advantage on the boards, including 19 caroms off the offensive glass.
The Aggies produced 17 assists, which was a season high against a major conference opponent. Leading the way were Taylor and Andersson Garcia with six assists, which was a career high for the “Dominican Rodman.” The Aggies had significant advantages in field goal attempts (64-49), second-chance points (17-2) and points in the paint (32-14).