Texas A&M Fueled by Record-Breaking Night at LSU

Taylor’s performance cements him as one of the best Aggies of all time. The Dallas native has had a decorated career and now has his name atop the Texas A&M record books. Taylor's impact on Texas A&M’s program is evident, as shown by his jersey being hung in the rafters immediately after his final game at Reed Arena, Tuesday’s win over No. 1 Auburn.

“[Taylor’s] ability to carry the burden of being our best leader and our best performer… is a gift, and he’s handled that gift in as humble a way as any elite-level player I’ve ever seen,” Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams said.

Texas A&M jumped out to an early ten-point lead, thanks to Taylor’s hot start, but trailed LSU by two at halftime. The Tigers went on a 17-0 run that lasted nearly six minutes to take control of the game before the break. Texas A&M responded by opening the second half on a 12-2 run to regain control. The Aggies retook the lead with 15:44 remaining and didn’t trail for the rest of the game.

The Aggies dominated the second half, returning to their physical style of play. Texas A&M held LSU to 20 points on 6-27 shooting from the field and outrebounded the Tigers 28-12 in the second half. “We responded much better in the second half,” Williams said. “I thought we played more to our recipe.”

The Aggies grabbed ten offensive rebounds in the second half, after getting just four in the first half. Offensive rebounding is a large part of the Aggies’ identity, as they lead the nation in offensive rebounds per game and are fifth in the country in rebounding margin.

After hitting a rough patch in late February, the Aggies will carry the momentum of back-to-back wins into next week’s SEC Tournament in Nashville. With Taylor scoring at a high level, Texas A&M is a threat to beat anyone in tournament play.

Texas A&M clinched the No. 5 seed in the SEC Tournament and will open play in the second round on Thursday, March 13 at approximately 2:30 p.m. CT. The Aggies will play the winner of the first round game between No. 12 seed Vanderbilt and No. 13 seed Texas. With a win, the Aggies would advance to play No. 4 seed Tennessee in the quarterfinals.