Texas A&M vs Central Florida: Aggies men’s basketball loses season opener

For the second time since Friday, a ranked Texas A&M Aggies team suffered a disappointing defeat then watched as opposing fans swarmed the playing surface.

On Saturday, it was the football team; Monday night, the Aggies men’s basketball team watched jubilant Central Florida supporters storm the court after a 64-61 upset. No. 16 Texas A&M held a lead as large as 11 in its season opener but couldn’t sustain the advantage. UCF’s largest lead was just three points.

A&M was ranked 16th in the preseason USA TODAY Coaches Poll and 13th in the Associated Press Top 25. UCF didn’t draw a single vote in either poll.

Knight guard Darius Johnson led all players with 24 points. Three other UCF players reached double digits; Texas native Jordan Ivy-Curry had 16 points and a team-high five rebounds for the home team.

A&M guard Wade Taylor IV and forward Pharrel Payne were the only Aggies to score more than 10 points. Taylor had 13 points and seven assists while shooting 4-for-15 from the field and 4-for-11 from 3-point range. He was among three Aggies who missed a potential tying 3-pointer on the game’s final possession. Payne had 15 points and six rebounds before fouling out.

One could say the game was won at the charity stripe: The Knights made 22 of 31 free-throw attempts on their home court while the Aggies made 8 of 14 free throws.

This upset won’t pay as handsomely as the last, though.

A&M will receive $250,000 from the University of South Carolina because SC football fans took over the field after a 44-20 Gamecocks win Saturday.

Up next for the basketball team is a Friday game against Texas A&M Commerce.

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas A&M basketball falls to Central Florida to open season

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/texas-m-vs-central-florida-103108103.html

Author : Austin American-Statesman

Publish date : 2024-11-05 10:31:00

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