Texas A&M vs Missouri basketball: Wade Taylor IV nails late 3-pointer for Aggies' road win

Texas A&M vs Missouri basketball: Wade Taylor IV nails late 3-pointer for Aggies’ road win

Posted by author February 8, 2025 Basketball

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A clutch 3-pointer lifted Texas A&M men’s basketball in a clash of two ranked SEC teams Saturday.

Aggies guard Wade Taylor IV made the bucket with under 2 seconds remaining, giving the Aggies 67-64 road win over the Missouri Tigers.

After losing a commanding lead, No. 13 Texas A&M (18-5, 7-3 SEC) needed a second-half comeback to hand No. 16 Missouri (17-6, 6-4) its first home loss of the season. For the Aggies, it’s a valuable win as the teams came into the game tied for third in the SEC standings.

A&M forward Pharrel Payne led all with 20 points on an excellent 7-for-9 day from the field. Tamar Bates — Missouri’s leading scorer — led his team with 16 points, but the senior guard needed 17 shots to get there, making just five field goals.

A Taylor 3-pointer with 14 minutes, 50 seconds left in the second half push the Aggies’ lead to 49-41. Then A&M went scoreless for more than seven minutes of game time. The Tigers ripped off a 15-2 run to take the lead 56-51 after Pharrel Payne ended the Aggies’ lengthy drought with a layup.

Despite shooting just 39.6% from the field, Missouri had a 61-60 lead with 3:19 remaining. Then the teams traded baskets, pushing the score to 64-64 after an Andersson Garcia free throw with 42 seconds left. Bates missed a go-ahead shot, setting the stage for Taylor’s heroics.

But the Tigers repeatedly had to fight to make it a competitive game.

A&M jumped out to a double digit lead less than halfway through the first period, but Missouri battled back to the tie the score at 20. It was back-and-forth affair for before the Aggies pulled away for a 38-29 lead going into the break.

The Aggies host the Georgia Bulldogs on Tuesday and Missouri stays home for a Wednesday matchup with Oklahoma.

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