Men’s Hoops Drops Road Decision to Texas A&M, 87-75

Saturday, February 22

College Station, Texas

2:30 PM

Mississippi State

17-10 (8-6SEC)

Texas A&M

14-12 (8-6SEC)

Mississippi State

Texas A&M

Men’s Hoops Drops Road Decision to Texas A&M, 87-75

February 22, 2020 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)WATCH: Postgame Presser

by Mikaela Elizondo, Graduate Assistant/Communications

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Tyson Carter and Robert Woodard II pumped in 32 of their combined 37 points during the second half, but Texas A&M's sharp shooting was difficult to overcome as the Aggies defeated Mississippi State, 87-75, on Saturday afternoon at Reed Arena.

The Bulldogs (17-10, 8-6 SEC) had their four-game winning streak over Texas A&M (14-12, 8-6 SEC) snapped and dropped into a tie with South Carolina and the Aggies for sixth place in the SEC standings. The three teams sit one-game behind Florida for fourth place.

Carter fired in 19 points courtesy of a 7-for-12 shooting clip. He connected on a season-high tying five treys and has dialed up double figures in nine of his last 12 appearances.

Woodard II delivered 16 of his SEC career-high 18 points during the second half and was 7-of-14 from the floor. He added three rebounds and two blocks. The 18-point effort for Woodard II was his highest scoring output since he notched a career-high 21 points versus New Orleans on Nov. 17.

Reggie Perry nearly compiled his 15 double-double of the season and filled the box score with 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

Nick Weatherspoon contributed 11 points and made five of his six shot attempts. He tacked on five assists and four rebounds before he fouled out.

Abdul Ado chipped in six points, six rebounds and two blocks, while Iverson Molinar garnered five points and a career-best three steals. The Carter-Molinar combination provided 24 of the game's 27 bench points.

D.J. Stewart Jr. was limited to two points but impacted the game in other ways. He passed out a career-high five assists to go along with four rebounds and two steals.

For the contest, MSU hit 29-of-60 shots from the field (48.3 percent), 8-of-18 shots from three-point range (44.4 percent) and 9-of-10 shots from the foul line (90.0 percent).

The Bulldogs had 19 assists and 16 turnovers, while Texas A&M had 18 assists and 11 turnovers.

Texas A&M made a season-high 31 field goals on 52 shot attempts en route to a season's best 59.6 field goal percentage. The Aggies also tallied season-highs from the three-point territory and the charity stripe. Texas A&M shot 9-of-17 on triples (52.9 percent) and were 16-of-18 on foul shots (88.9 percent).

The Aggies starting five did the heavy lifting as all five members recorded double figures and amassed 84 of the team's 87 points. Josh Nebo captured a career-high 21 points on an efficient 8-of-11 shooting. Wendell Mitchell delivered all 20 of his points after halftime whereas Quenton Jackson totaled 18 points, and Savion Flagg provided a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

FROM THE BENCH WITH COACH HOWLAND
"I thought Texas A&M really played well today against us especially when you look at the offense. If you shoot 60 percent, that's [good] for a team that was struggling to score. That's really disappointing defensively for us. They shot 59 percent in the first half and 60 percent in the second half. All five starters were in double figures."

"I thought [Josh] Nebo was terrific tonight. When you look at the second half there, [Wendell] Mitchell comes in and scores 20 in the second half. They're over 50 percent from three. Our turnovers, obviously, hurt us. We had 16 turnovers that led to 22 points. That's a huge stat. That's really the story of the game. We are very disappointed. I have great respect for Buzz [Williams] and what a great job he does and how this team has developed here at Texas A&M. From the beginning of the year to where they are now, they're a problem for everybody."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Reggie Perry put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard with a midrange jumper off glass, but Texas A&M responded with eight consecutive points to take an 8-2 edge with 15:04 remaining.

Trailing 12-9 with 12:12 to go, Mississippi State ripped off a 9-0 flurry highlighted by back-to-back buckets courtesy of Iverson Molinar off the bench. A Molinar free throw put the Bulldogs ahead 18-12 at the 9:17 mark.

The Aggies answered with 17 of the next 21 points during the next 6:58 off the clock. Consecutive dunks from Emanuel Miller and Savion Flagg gave Texas A&M a 29-22 advantage with 2:03 left.

The Aggies took a 36-30 lead into the locker room as Flagg beat the buzzer with a putback layup off an offensive rebound.

Texas A&M extended the advantage to 41-32 during the opening 83 seconds of the second half. The Bulldogs rattled off the next seven points to pull back to 41-39 at the 17:19 mark. Perry got loose for a layup coupled with a Robert Woodard II traditional three-point play and a Nick Weatherspoon steal and one-handed flush.

Mississippi State stayed within striking distance but could never pull even. The Aggies seized the momentum on a 10-2 spurt over a 2:22 span starting at the 14:43 mark. An Andre Gordon left wing trifecta made it 56-46 with 11:51 to go.

Texas A&M grabbed its largest lead, 65-51, on a Savion Flagg three-ball with 8:08 left.

The Bulldogs put together a few final flurries behind Carter and drew back to six points on three occasions. Carter nailed triples to bring the scoreboard to 68-62 and 71-65 inside the closing five minutes. However, Mitchell countered with treys of his own, the later turned into a four-point play to push Texas A&M back ahead by double figures.

A Carter dunk off an outlet pass from Iverson Molinar placed Mississippi State down 81-75 with 1:03 remaining. Quenton Jackson converted on all six of his free throw attempts during the closing 57 seconds to salt away the 12-point decision.

UP NEXT
Mississippi State returns home to complete its home-and-home series with Alabama on Tuesday. Tip time is on-tap for 8 p.m. CT. The game will be televised by the SEC Network and carried online courtesy of the Watch ESPN platform.

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by searching 'HailStateMBK' on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.