Bucky McMillan and Texas A&M Basketball get their third win of the season as the Aggies narrowly survive against the Montana Grizzlies, 86-81. The Aggies were up by 19 points with under 6:30 left in the game, but let the Grizzlies back in the game, escaping with the win.
This Aggie team has a massive issue finishing games. After being up 19 with 6:13 left in the game, Montana went on a 26-8 run to cut the Aggie's lead to 1 with 9 seconds remaining. Luckily, clutch free throws down the stretch brought home the win for the Aggies.
Defending the perimeter has also been a glaring issue for this team. Montana shot 16/31, or 52% from beyond the arc tonight. In the previous game against UCF, the knights shot 50% from beyond the arc with 14 3-pointers made.
Despite win, huge issues are becoming evident for Texas A&M basketball
A large part of that comeback from Montana was due to Money Williams who had 22 points.I said that McMillan and staff would game plan for Williams. The game plan largely worked for the first 34 minutes of the game. The Aggies were denying him the ball and he only had 7 points. Then he went off for 15 points in the last 6 minutes of the game. Brooklyn Hicks also had 18 points off the bench for Montana.
There were some positives from the Aggies tonight. Five Aggies were in double figures for scoring, led by Rylan Griffen with 17. Ruben Dominguez continued shooting well, going 3-6 from 3 with 12 total points. Pop Isaacs and Zach Clemence both had their second straight games scoring in double figures. Jamie Vinson had 8 points off the bench, after only having 5 points combined in the first 4 games.
The Aggies will take the floor again Friday night at Reed Arena against Manhattan. A lot of fans are hoping to see the debut of star transfer Mackenzie Mgbako. Hopefully his addition to the team can turn some things around. Check back on Thursday for a preview of the matchup against Manhattan.