LAS VEGAS — Wade Taylor IV scored 24 points and No. 20 Texas A&M defeated Rutgers 81-77 Saturday in the fifth-place game of the Players Era Festival.
Rutgers overcame a six-point halftime deficit and led by nine with 12:51 left, but the Aggies closed the game on a 27-14 run to seal the win.
Solomon Washington, Henry Coleman III and Manny Obaseki added 11 apiece for the Aggies (6-2).
Rutgers (5-3) was led by Ace Bailey, who finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Jeremiah Williams added 20, and Dylan Harper scored 18.
Takeaways
Rutgers: Williams averaged 7.3 points on 45.5 per cent shooting during the team’s first six games. His 20 points were his highest production since Nov. 21, 2021, when he scored 22 against Elon on Temple's basketball team.
Texas A&M: Coleman finished the tournament with a team-best 77.7 per cent shooting percentage (14-of-18). He also grabbed a team-high 22 rebounds.
Key moment
Trailing by one, the Scarlet Knights had a chance to take the lead, but Zach Martini fumbled a pass out of bounds. Taylor hit two free throws on the ensuing possession to give the Aggies a three-point cushion. Zhuric Phelps made two more free throws with 1.9 seconds left to seal the win.
Key stat
The teams combined to go 2-of-20 from three-point range in the first half. Texas A&M came in averaging 31.4 per cent from beyond the arc but missed all seven attempts, and Rutgers, normally 33.3 per cent from long-range, made 2-of-13 from deep. The Aggies finished 2-of-15 while Rutgers hit 6-of-26 three-pointers.
Up next
Rutgers opens Big Ten play at Ohio State on Saturday, and Texas A&M hosts Wake Forest in the SEC/ACC Challenge on Tuesday.
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