Texas A&M defeats Vanderbilt 72-66

Texas A&M (15-6, 7-1 SEC) started the week off with their rousing 79-63 win over the 15th-ranked Auburn Tigers on Wednesday night, ending the Tigers’ 28-game home winning streak in dominant fashion behind a memorable 30-point performance from senior guard Tyrece Radford. Up next, the Vanderbilt Commodores, who came into Saturday night’s matchup sitting at 10-10, and 3-4 in the SEC,  bringing an underdog mentality that kept them in the game at a consistent pace. In a hot shooting night for the Commodores (12-32 3-point) The Aggies turned their defense up late, escaping Vanderbilt 72-66 and reaching 7-1 in the SEC.

Through all the in-game drama, Texas A&M’s scoring was very balanced, led by Henry Coleman III with 18 points and 6 rebounds, Wade Taylor IV with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists, and Tyrece “Boots” Radford with a relatively quiet 14 points and four rebounds. The Aggies bench was outstanding With Andersson Garcia coming up huge late in the second half, scoring 5 points and snagging a team-high 8 rebounds, while Hayden Hefner (5 points, 3 rebounds) and Andrew Gordon (5 points, 2 rebounds) both provided valuable depth. On the night, the Aggies outrebounded Vanderbilt 37-31 while forcing 11 turnovers on defense.

The Commodores’ scoring effort started with forward Myles Stute, who went 7-14 from 3-point land, scoring 22 on the night, as guard Jordan Wright scored 15, and guard Trey Thomas scored 13 off the bench.

The first half was Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt, and more Vanderbilt, shooting 46% from the field, and 50% from 3-point land, hitting 6-12 including a 4-5 performance from sharpshooter Myles Stute, who finished with 13 points at the half. The Aggies were constantly subdued by the Commodore’s 1-2-2 zone defense, combined with poor outside shooting at 23% (3-13), yet Henry Coleman III stepped up in the paint with 10 points and hit four free throws, while the hot hand of Tyrece Radford began to cool off, scoring 6 on 2-9 shooting. However, with Vanderbilt leading 34-27 with just seconds remaining, Radord hit a corner three to send the Aggies into the locker room with a little momentum, trailing 34-30 at the half.

Five minutes into the second half, the Aggies finally found their rhythm on offense, going on a quick 10-2 run led by Coleman and Radford, recapturing the lead at 45-44, and leading to what would become an offensive takeover at the hands to Wade Taylor IV, who scored 10 points and recorded 2 assists in a 12-0 run, and…