Texas Falls Short Against Aggies as Second-Half Surge Seals Road Win for Texas A&M
AUSTIN, Texas - Riding high off back-to-back wins over top-15 opponents, Texas came into Tuesday night’s matchup looking to keep the momentum rolling. But instead of a third straight SEC victory, the Longhorns ran into a Texas A&M squad that showed up ready to punch first-and punch last.
The Aggies, fresh off a double-overtime heartbreaker against Tennessee just four days earlier, bounced back in a big way with a gritty 74-70 win in Austin. And they did it behind a second-half explosion from Rylan Griffen, who scored all 17 of his points after halftime.
This was a game that started ugly and stayed tight for most of the way. Both teams struggled to find their rhythm early, combining for long scoring droughts and cold shooting stretches that made the first half feel like a grind.
Texas hit two of its first three shots, then promptly went 1-for-13 over the next nine minutes. A&M wasn’t much better, opening 4-of-13 from the field.
By the break, it was 29-29, with neither side able to seize control. Texas shot just 32.1% in the opening half, including 3-of-11 from deep. The Aggies weren’t lights out either, but they were more efficient, hitting 43% of their first-half attempts and staying aggressive.
But the second half? That belonged to Griffen.
The Dallas native wasted no time setting the tone, drilling back-to-back threes to open the half-including a four-point play that sent Texas forward Cam Heide to the bench with a foul. That sequence sparked a 9-2 A&M run and forced Texas head coach Sean Miller to burn a timeout just over three minutes into the half.
Griffen kept cooking, scoring 10 points in the first 3:35 of the half. He finished 6-of-7 from the field and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, completely flipping the momentum in A&M’s favor.
Meanwhile, Texas never quite found its offensive flow. Tramon Mark, who had been on a tear averaging nearly 20 points over his last five outings, was held to 13 points on 6-of-14 shooting. The Aggies made a concerted effort to limit his touches and force others to beat them.
One of the more puzzling aspects of the game was the usage-or lack thereof-of Texas big man Matas Vokietaitis. Despite holding a clear size advantage over A&M’s Rashaun Agee (five inches and 25 pounds), Vokietaitis attempted just four shots from the field.
He still managed 14 points, thanks in large part to an 8-of-12 night from the free-throw line, and pulled down a game-high nine rebounds. But the Longhorns never fully capitalized on the mismatch inside.
Agee, on the other hand, brought the physicality. The Aggies’ center notched a double-double with 17 points and 11 boards, giving A&M a steady interior presence that helped balance out their perimeter attack.
Texas made one final push late. After Jacari Lane knocked down a deep three to put the Aggies up 73-63 with 2:41 to play, A&M went cold. They didn’t make another field goal the rest of the way.
That opened the door for the Longhorns, who rattled off a quick 5-0 run to cut the deficit to five with under a minute left. Miller opted not to foul on the next possession, trusting his defense to get a stop. It worked-Texas forced a miss and got the rebound with under 30 seconds to go.
Chendall Weaver cleaned up a miss with a put-back bucket to pull Texas within two possessions, but with just seven seconds left, the clock was the Aggies’ best friend. Lane hit a free throw on the other end to ice it.
Key Takeaways:
- Rylan Griffen’s second-half takeover was the difference. His 17 points came at the most critical juncture, and his efficiency (6-of-7 from the field) was lights out.
- Texas’ offensive inconsistency reared its head again. The Longhorns have now been held to 70 points or fewer just four times this season-this was one of them.
- **Interior mismatch underutilized. ** Vokietaitis had the size advantage, but Texas didn’t feed him enough.
Meanwhile, Agee’s 17-11 line was a tone-setter for A&M.
- **Late-game decisions loomed large.
** Miller’s choice not to foul down five with under a minute left gave his team a shot-but it wasn’t enough.
First-Half Snapshot:
- Jordan Pope got things rolling with a three to open the scoring-just like he did against Vanderbilt.
- Texas went ice cold midway through the half, hitting just one of nine shots during a key stretch.
- Cam Heide broke a five-minute scoring drought with a timely three.
- Tramon Mark hit a buzzer-beating three to tie things up at 29 heading into the break.
Second-Half Highlights:
- Griffen’s four-point play set the tone right out of halftime.
- A&M jumped out to a 10-point lead behind a 9-2 run.
- Jamie Vinson brought the crowd to life with a thunderous alley-oop dunk.
- Jordan Pope kept Texas alive with a four-point play of his own, cutting the lead to six with under four minutes to go.
Now sitting at 11-7 overall and 2-3 in SEC play, Texas heads back on the road to face Kentucky at Rupp Arena. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.
If the Longhorns want to get back on track, they’ll need more offensive consistency-and a better plan to leverage their size in the paint. The SEC gauntlet doesn’t let up, and the road ahead only gets tougher.