No. 1 Auburn falls 83-72 to No. 22
Texas A&M behind Zhuric Phelps' 19 points
[March 05, 2025]
By KRISTIE RIEKEN
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Zhuric Phelps scored 19 points off the
bench and No. 22 Texas A&M never trailed in an 83-72 win over
top-ranked Auburn on Tuesday night.
It’s Texas A&M’s first-ever win over a team ranked No. 1 in the AP
Top 25 poll and ends a six-game winning streak for the Tigers, who
clinched the Southeastern Conference title with a win over Kentucky
on Saturday.
Texas A&M (21-9, 10-7 SEC) denied Auburn (27-3, 15-2) an undefeated
conference road record after the Tigers entered the game 9-0 in SEC
road games this season.
The Aggies, who snapped a season-long four-game skid, led by double
digits for most of the night and were up 12 with about two minutes
to go before Tahaad Pettiford made a 3-pointer to get Auburn within
79-70. But Phelps made two free throws to extend the lead.
Pettiford made three 3-pointers in less than two minutes early in
the second half to power a run that got the Tigers within six, but
Wade Taylor IV had a three-point play that started a 5-0 run which
pushed A&M’s advantage to 62-51.
Pettiford led Auburn with 19 points, including six 3-pointers.
The Aggies got their first win since Feb. 15 against Arkansas in
front of a rowdy crowd of 12,257 that included 2012 Heisman Trophy
winner Johnny Manziel and Tampa Bay receiver Mike Evans, who starred
at Texas A&M together.
Takeaways
Auburn: The Tigers were hurt by an off night from top scorer Johni
Broome, who entered the game averaging 18.4 points but managed just
eight. He left the game for a couple of minutes early in the first
half with what appeared to be a shoulder injury but played 32
minutes despite the problem.
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Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford (0) tries to knock the ball away from
Texas A&M guard Zhuric Phelps (1) during the first half of an NCAA
college basketball game, Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in College Station,
Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)
Texas A&M: The Aggies rebounded from their recent
struggles with the big win that should give them momentum entering
the SEC tournament.
Key moment
The Aggies asserted their dominance from the beginning of this one,
jumping out to a 12-2 lead and controlling the game throughout.
Key stat
Texas A&M, which entered the game leading the nation in offensive
rebounding, had a 24-9 advantage.
Up next
Auburn hosts No. 7 Alabama Saturday and Texas A&M visits LSU.
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