Texas A&M claims fifth straight with win at Missouri

Wade Taylor IV scored 21 points and dished six assists as visiting Texas A&M defeated Missouri 69-60 Saturday in Columbia, Mo., to continue its roll in the Southeastern Conference.

Dexter Dennis scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Aggies (20-7, 12-2 SEC), who won their fifth consecutive game to stay within one game of league-leading Alabama.

Tyrece Radford added 12 points for Texas A&M, and Julius Marble had seven points and eight rebounds.

Kobe Brown scored 24 points, and D’Moi Hodge added 12 for the Tigers (19-8, 7-7), who have suffered back-to-back losses for just the second time this season.

Texas A&M out-rebounded Missouri 41-23 while dominating the lane at both ends of the court. The Aggies also outscored the Tigers 17-11 at the free-throw line.

The Aggies jumped to a quick 5-0 lead, but they couldn’t pull away early despite Missouri’s cold shooting. The Tigers missed their first five shots from 3-point range and 9-of-10 shots overall.

Missouri forced seven early turnovers and pulled ahead 11-9 on a Hodge’s 3-point shot. Texas A&M responded with a 7-0 run, capped by Dennis’ 3-point jumper, to take a 16-11 lead.

The Tigers pulled within one, 20-19, on another Hodge 3-pointer.

But the Aggies got their offense rolling with Taylor hitting a 3-pointer and four three throws to get them into a higher gear. They closed the first half with a 19-6 run — capped by Taylor’s deep 3-pointer as the clock wound down — to move out to a 39-25 lead.

After Missouri cut its deficit to 45-35 on Mohamed Diarra’s three-point play off of an offensive rebound, Texas A&M scored the next eight points to reaffirm its upper hand.

Missouri mustered an 8-0 run, capped by Hodge’s 3-pointer, to cut its deficit to 56-48. But the Tigers could get no closer as the Aggies closed out the game with authority.

–Field Level Media