No. 20 Texas A&M survives Rutgers, earns 5th-place finish at Players Era Festival with 81-77 win
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.
Rutgers: Williams averaged 7.3 points on 45.5% 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% shooting percentage (14 of 18). He also grabbed a team-high 22 rebounds.
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.
The teams combined to go 2 of 20 from 3-point range in the first half. Texas A&M came in averaging 31.4% from beyond the arc but missed all seven attempts, and Rutgers, normally 33.3% from long-range, made 2 of 13 from deep. The Aggies finished 2 of 15 while Rutgers hit 6 of 26 3-pointers.
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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Game Information
- Referees:
- Jerry Heater
- Chuck Jones
- Jeffrey Anderson
2024-25 Southeastern Conference Standings
2024-25 Big Ten Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 2-0 | - | 10-2 |
| UCLA | 2-0 | - | 10-2 |
| Michigan | 2-0 | - | 8-3 |
| Oregon | 1-1 | 1 | 10-1 |
| Maryland | 1-1 | 1 | 10-2 |
| Penn State | 1-1 | 1 | 10-2 |
| Nebraska | 1-1 | 1 | 7-2 |
| Iowa | 1-1 | 1 | 9-3 |
| Northwestern | 1-1 | 1 | 9-3 |
| Indiana | 1-1 | 1 | 9-3 |
| Illinois | 1-1 | 1 | 7-3 |
| Ohio State | 1-1 | 1 | 8-4 |
| Purdue | 1-1 | 1 | 8-4 |
| USC | 1-1 | 1 | 8-4 |
| Rutgers | 1-1 | 1 | 7-5 |
| Wisconsin | 0-2 | 2 | 9-3 |
| Washington | 0-2 | 2 | 8-3 |
| Minnesota | 0-2 | 2 | 7-5 |
Men's College Basketball News
